About Lycopene

Description

Lycopene is a member of the Carotenoid family which is the natural pigment responsible for the deep red color of several fruits, most notably tomatoes and other red fruits. It name is derived from the tomato’s species i.e., Solanum lycopersicum (formerly Lycopersicon esculentum).

Dietary Sources

Fruits and vegetables that are high in Lycopene include tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, pink guava, papaya, red bell pepper, sea buck thorn, wolfberry and rosehip

Carbon

Hydrogen

3D Molecular Structure of Lycopene

Weight of Lycopene in different source (Reff- Wikipedia)

Source	μg/g
Gac	2,000–2,300
Raw tomato	8.8–42
Tomato juice	86–100
Tomato sauce	63–131
Tomato ketchup	124
Watermelon	23–72
Pink grapefruit	3.6–34
Pink guava	54
Papaya	20–53
Rosehip puree	7.8
Apricot	< 0.1

Production

Lycopene may be obtained from vegetables and fruits such as the tomato, but another source of Lycopene is the fungus Blakeslea trispora.

Mechanism Of Action

After ingestion, Lycopene is incorporated into lipid micelles in the small intestine. These micelles help to solubilize the hydrophobic Lycopene and allow it to permeate the intestinal mucosal cells by a passive transport mechanism. Lycopene is incorporated into chylomicrons and released into the lymphatic system. Lycopene is mainly distributed to fatty tissues and organs such as the adrenal glands, liver, testes and blood plasma (very low density lipoprotein fractions).

Distribution of Lycopene
Tissue	nmol/g
Liver	1.28–5.72
Kidney	0.15–0.62
Adrenal	1.9–21.6
Testes	4.34–21.4
Ovary	0.25–0.28
Adipose	0.2–1.3
Lung	0.22–0.57
Colon	0.31
Breast	0.78
Skin	0.42