## 3 Results and Discussion
### Proximate Composition of TPW, TPW-PEEL, and TPW-SEED  
Numerous studies have shown that TPW is exceptionally rich in dietary fiber, followed by carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and minerals, making it a suitable source of fiber, proteins, and lipids [50; 51; 52]. The proximate composition of individual fractions of indigenous Croatian tomato pomace varieties and the effect of different drying methods on their composition is shown in Table 2.  
In this context, the goal of our research was to determine the macronutrient composition of individual fractions of tomato pomace, as well as to examine the effect of different drying methods on the composition, especially since the study focused on a mixture of indigenous Croatian tomato varieties for which no nutritional data is currently available. The analysis results presented in Table 2 showed that TPW contains the highest proportion of dietary fiber, followed by available carbohydrates (40% and 29%, most abundant in the peel); proteins and lipids (18% and 7.8%, most abundant in the seeds); and minerals (4.8%). Previous studies have shown that lipid content can vary from 2 to 16.24%, depending on the variety, ripeness, climate conditions, and extraction method [53]. Given that 7.8% lipids were detected in our samples, we can conclude that indigenous Croatian varieties have medium values compared to those recorded in the literature. The soluble fiber fraction,with a particular emphasis on pectin, which is important for the pharmaceutical industry, makes up to 7.5% of the total composition. The literature reports that pectin content can reach up to 15% of dry matter [53], indicating that our samples contain approximately half the amount of maximum pectin concentration in TP. A significantly higher presence of insoluble compared to soluble fiber was also observed (ratio 5.3-7.6:1, depending on the fraction). The peel contained the highest proportion of total (52%) and insoluble fiber (43%), while the seeds had the highest energy value (424 kcal/100 g), consistent with their high lipid content. The influence of drying method on the nutrient composition of TPW was investigated by comparing TPW-70 and TPW-LIO samples. The method of drying clearly affected the content of specific components. Ash content is an important parameter in quality control of plant material, as excessive ash may indicate the presence of impurities or contaminants, potentially pointing to poor quality or harmful substances. For example, increased ash content may suggest soil contamination used in cultivation, such as heavy metals or other pollutants. In our study, determining ash content was crucial to confirm the quality of the prepared TPW samples and to accurately calculate total carbohydrates. The ash content was higher in the TPW-70 (4.8% \(\pm\) 0.1%) compared to TPW-LIO (4.2% \(\pm\) 0.0%), consistent with previous findings [52]. However, although statistically significant, the increase in ash content is negligible and likely the result of intrinsic variation in the composition of the plant material, as previously noted by [PERSON] and co-authors [54]. Determining ash content was crucial to confirm the quality of the prepared TPW samples, as excessive ash may indicate the presence of impurities or contaminants, potentially pointing to poor quality or harmful substances. For example, increased ash content may suggest soil contamination used in cultivation, such as heavy metals or other pollutants [55]. Lipid content was significantly higher in TPW-LIO (9.2% \(\pm\) 0.4%) compared to TPW-70 (7.8% \(\pm\) 0.0%). This result may be attributed to the greater porosity of the freeze-dried material, which allows for more efficient extraction of lipids but also highly valuable lipophilic micronutrients in TPW such as lycopene, beta-carotene, lutein, phytoene, and phytofluene [56]. Protein content did not differ significantly between the two drying methods (TPW-70: 18% \(\pm\) 0.9%, TPW