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Lycopene is a bright red carotenoid pigment, a phytochemical found in tomatoes and other red fruits. It is the most common carotenoid in the human body and is one of the most potent carotenoid antioxidants. Its name is derived from the tomato's species classification, Solanum lycopersicum.

Lycopene is an effective controller of skin aging caused by ultraviolet light. There is evidence that frequent intake of such products containing lycopene is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer (especially prostate cancer), diabetes, osteoporosis, and even male infertility. Lycopene may also be related to a reduced risk of oesophageal, colon, and mouth cancer.

Fruits and vegetables that are high in lycopene include tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, pink guava, papaya, and rosehip. Unlike other fruits and vegetables, where nutritional content such as vitamin C is diminished upon cooking, processing of tomatoes increases the concentration of lycopene. Lycopene in tomato paste is four times more bio-available than in fresh tomatoes. Thus processed tomato products such as pasteurized tomato juice, soup, sauce, and ketchup contain the highest concentrations of bio-available lycopene.

Because lycopene is so insoluble in water and is so tightly bound to vegetable fiber, the bio-availability of lycopene is increased by food processing. Cooking and crushing tomatoes (as in the canning process) and serving in oil-rich dishes (such as spaghetti sauce or pizza) greatly increases assimilation from the digestive tract into the bloodstream.

Due to its ability to blend well with other ingredients, lycopene has been licensed for use as a food coloring. Lycopene is not water-soluble and instantly stains any sufficiently porous material, including most plastics. While a tomato stain can be fairly easily removed from fabric (provided the stain is fresh), lycopene diffuses into plastic, making it impossible to remove with hot water, soap, or detergent. (Bleach will destroy lycopene, however.) Plastics are especially susceptible to staining if heated, scratched, oiled, or pitted, for example by acids.

Reference: Wikipedia

Copyright by VeggieSensations.com 12/18/2006