Lycopene Content in Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill): Effect of Thermal Heat and its Health Benefits

摘要

Lycopene is a phytonutrient and an antioxidant and this pigment is responsible for the characteristic deep red colour of ripe tomatoes and their products. It plays an important role in human health and epidemiological studies have shown it to reduce the risk of chronic diseases. The lycopene content and stability in tomato puree during cooking was studied. Eight different tomato cultivars ('NH158', 'Three lobed', 'Ronita', 'Small local', 'Leader', 'Lindo', 'Big local' and 'Cherry') were planted for evaluation. The tomato slurries were subjected to thermal heat for 1,2 and 3 h and analyzed for lycopene content by spectrophotometry. The absorbance was read at 502 nm. The lycopene content ranged from 70.25 to 147.29 (ag/g, 'Leader' having the highest and 'Lindo' the lowest. The percentage loss of lycopene content after 1 h boiling ranged from 13.58-42.99% among the cultivars. Values obtained for 2 and 3 h heating were similar, ranging from 24.66-85.30%. However, 'Three-lobed' and 'Cherry' retained more of their lycopene content than the other six cultivars. A further loss in the lycopene content was observed when subjected to 3 h cooking suggesting that lycopene is not stable when exposed to longer heating. The levels of lycopene in tomato and the potential influence of thermal heat on its availability in tomatoes and tomato-based foods would be of interest to the food industry, tomato improvement and public health intervention programmes. This paper also summarizes the current state of knowledge ofthe properties of lycopene, and its possible health benefits.