## 3 Results and Discussion
### Characterization of TPW-SEED Oil
Fatty acid compositions are predominantly polyunsaturatedated and monounsaturated fatty acids, with 52.3% of omega-6 (linoleic acid) followed by 25.8% of omega-9 (oleic acid) as the major components (Figure 4). Saturated fatty acids such as palmitic acid (13.4%) and stearic acid (5.7%) are present in moderate amounts, while other fatty acids like myristic (0.12%), palmitoleic (0.29%), linoleic (2.16%), arachidonic (0.19%), and gadoleic acid (0.12%) occur in smaller quantities. This is comparable to other frequently consumed edible oils such as sunflower or corn oil. Comparison of the fatty acid composition of TPW-SEED oil with the other available literature data is presented in Table S2. It is obvious from the presented data that the obtained values are consistent with the data obtained by other authors [32]. Impact of Drying Method and Grinding Degree on the Content of Total Antioxidants, Polyphenols, \(\beta\)-Carotene, and Lycopene  
As mentioned previously, TPW offers considerable promise as a rich source of carotenoids and polyphenols, which are highly valued in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. However, more research is necessary to expand its industrial use, particularly in terms of scaling extraction methods from laboratory settings to full-scale production and investigating more thoroughly how processing and pretreatment of the raw material affect the quantity and characteristics of target compounds [10]. The results from the initial phase of the study demonstrated that drying conditions have a significant impact on the levels of bioactive compounds in TPW, particularly lycopene, as well as other antioxidants. These changes consequently affect the overall antioxidant capacity of the samples. Building on these findings, the second phase of the investigation expanded to include a broader range of drying conditions and a more comprehensive analysis of the polyphenolic content. Figure 4: Fatty acid composition of TPW-SEED oil. The data are presented as mean \(\pm\) SD. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA followed by [PERSON]’s post hoc test. Different letters above the bars indicate statistically significant differences (\(p<0.05\)) between samples within each measured component. As presented in Table 5, vacuum drying preserves the highest amounts of carotenoids, and the impact is particularly emphasized in the case of lycopene. While \(\beta\)-carotene levels are affected moderately (with values ranging from 11.9 \(\pm\) 0.3 mg/100 g up to 14.1 \(\pm\) 0.2 mg/100 g), lycopene content varied from 79.4 \(\pm\) 0.8 mg/100 g in TPW-70 up to 164.8 \(\pm\) 3.5 mg/100 g, confirming again the sensitivity of lycopene to thermal degradation, primarily heating but also freezing during the process of lyophilization. Compared to conventional air drying, both lyophilization and vacuum drying provide protection from heat-induced degradation of thermally sensitive compounds. Additionally, lyophilization leads to ice crystal formation that disrupts cellular structures, which might have positive effect on the subsequentional extraction of carotenoids and other bioactive compounds. However, during the freeze-drying process, a temperature of \(-\)80 \({}^{\circ}\)C to \(-\)20 \({}^{\circ}\)C is usually maintained which might lead to the loss of particularly thermally sensitive compounds such as lycopene (as consistent with our results) [80]. Vacuum drying has been proven to be the method of choice for preservation of lycopene, which is consistent with the available literature data focused on optimization of drying of lycopene-rich carrots [81]. This is probably due to the fact that vacuum drying is performed at sub-atmospheric pressure, which lowers the boiling point of water and enables drying at reduced temperatures. Additionally, the low-oxygen environment minimizes oxidation, making vacuum drying ideal for heat- and oxidation-sensitive raw materials [82].