Objective: Tomato seed oil is a novel food ingredient. This study aimed to optimize the extraction process of tomato seed oil to improve oil yield while achieving optimal retention of functional components and flavor characteristics， thereby providing a basis for the preparation of high-quality tomato seed oil. Methods: Tomato seeds were treated using a steam explosion-subcritical extraction technique. Single-factor experiments and response surface methodology were employed to investigate the effects of solid-liquid ratio， extraction time， extraction temperature， and particle size on extraction yield. Furthermore， a backpropagation (BP) neural network coupled with a genetic algorithm (GA-BP) was established to predict and optimize process parameters. The fatty acid composition， functional components， and characteristic flavor compounds of oils obtained by different extraction methods (pressing and solvent extraction) were systematically compared. Results: After optimization by the GA-BP model， the optimal conditions were determined as follows: Solid-liquid ratio of 1∶11.90， extraction time of 63.16 min， extraction temperature of 46.60 ℃， and particle size of 40-60 mesh. The predicted extraction yield was 90.58%， while the experimental value was 90.09%. Compared with pressing and solvent extraction， subcritical extraction resulted in higher contents of cis-lycopene， phytosterols， and total phenols， reaching 86.49 mg/kg， 7 412.60 mg/kg， and 147.28 mg/kg， respectively. In addition， subcritical extraction significantly increased the content of ester compounds (30 188.49 μg/kg)， followed by steam explosion-pressing (30 188.49 μg/kg)， while steam explosion-solvent extraction showed the lowest level (23 875 μg/kg)， thereby enhancing the fruity and sweet aroma characteristics of the oil. Conclusions: Steam explosion-subcritical extraction can significantly improve the extraction yield of tomato seed oil and exhibit clear advantages in preserving functional components and flavor quality， demonstrating promising application potential.