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Lycopene Bioavailability and Its Effects on Health

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Food Quality, Safety and Technology

Abstract

Lycopene is a lipophilic carotenoid which is responsible for the red color in various fruits and vegetables and is commonly found in tomatoes. Lycopene is one of the most potent antioxidants among the dietary carotenoids mainly due to its many conjugated double bounds, and it also has the strongest singlet oxygen-quenching ability compared to other carotenoids. Besides acting as antioxidant, other mechanisms such as immune system stimulation, cell cycle regulations, gap junction communication enhancement, mutagenesis reduction, tumor cell proliferation inhibition, antitumor immune response improvement, and anti-inflammatory action have also been identified with this carotenoid. Lycopene, as a dietary source of a carotenoid, has received considerable scientific interest in several chronic diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, and diabetes. It is one of the major carotenoid in the diet of North Americans and Europeans. Besides tomato, lycopene is found in watermelon, guava, papaya, and apricot. The amount of lycopene in fruits and vegetables varies according to the season, stage of ripeness, variety, geographical and climatic effect, planting location, and postharvest handling and storage; in general, the more reddish the food, the greater the concentration of lycopene. The highest concentrations of lycopene are generally in the bark of food sources as compared to the pulp. Its largest concentration is found in food produced in regions with warm climates. Several factors affect the bioavailability of lycopene, such as the food processing. Ingestion of cooked tomato in oil medium increased human serum lycopene levels than consumption of unprocessed tomato juice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Internal Medicine Laboratory, Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, Sao Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, Brazil

    Ana Lucia A. Ferreira

  2. Department of Pathology, Botucatu Medical School, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Distrito de RubiĂŁo Jr s/n, Botucatu, SP, CEP: 18618-000, Brazil

    Camila Renata CorrĂȘa

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  1. Ana Lucia A. Ferreira
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  2. Camila Renata CorrĂȘa
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Correspondence to Camila Renata CorrĂȘa .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Biosciences Institute, SĂŁo Paulo State Univeristy (UNESP), Botucatu, SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil

    Giuseppina P. P. Lima

  2. Department of Chemical Biology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

    Fabio Vianello

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Ferreira, A.L.A., CorrĂȘa, C.R. (2013). Lycopene Bioavailability and Its Effects on Health. In: Lima, G., Vianello, F. (eds) Food Quality, Safety and Technology. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-1640-1_5

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