Information AboutLycopene |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT LYCOPENE | |
| food antioxidants | |
| dietary antioxidants | |
| carotenoids | |
| terpenes and terpenoids | |
| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
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{Link without Title} {Link without Title} . STRUCTURE Lycopene is a Terpene assembled from 8 Isoprene units. The Color of lycopene is due to its many Conjugated Carbon Double Bond s. Each double bond reduces the energy required for Electron s to transition to higher Energy State s, allowing the Molecule to absorb Visible Light of progressively shorter Wavelength s. Lycopene absorbs most of the visible Spectrum , so it appears red. If lycopene is Oxidized (for example, by reacting with bleaches or acids), the double bonds between carbon Atom s will be broken, cleaving the molecule into smaller molecules each double-bonded to an Oxygen atom. Although C=O bonds are also chromophoric, the much shorter molecules are unable to absorb enough light to appear colorful. A similar effect occurs if lycopene is Reduced ; reduction may Saturate (convert the double bonds to single bonds) the lycopene molecule, diminishing its ability to absorb light. HEALTH Due to lycopene's long, unsaturated chain, it is a potent antioxidant in the human body. It tends to be stored in a wide variety of organs and binding sites (including the liver, prostate, lungs, colon, and skin), making it the Carotenoid with the widest distribution in the body. An FDA study found that tomatoes were the only one of a group of 46 Fruits and Vegetables to significantly decrease the rate of prostate cancer; the effect was correlated with Serum lycopene levels. It is believed to account for the low rates of cancers of the digestive tract in Italians. Because of its antioxidant effect (and its Bioavailability ), lycopene could hypothetically prevent or slow the course of Age-related Macular Degeneration . Although this has never been shown, other antioxidants (including carotenoid derviatives of lycopene) have been shown to protect the macula. FOOD COLORING Due to its ubiquity, lycopene has been licensed for use as a Food Coloring . Because lycopene is so insoluble in water and is so tightly bound to vegetable fiber, the bioavailablity of lycopene is increased by food processing. For example 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. Lycopene is not Water - Soluble and instantly Stain s any sufficiently Porous material, including most Plastic s. While a tomato stain can be fairly easily removed from Fabric (provided the stain is fresh), discolored plastic defies all efforts to drive out the lycopene with hot water, Soap , or Detergent . ( Bleach will destroy lycopene, however.) Plastics are especially susceptible to staining if Heat ed, scratched, Oil ed, or pitted by Acid s (such as those found in tomatoes). SOURCES {Link without Title} (lycopene.org) Gerster, H. The potential role of lycopene for human health. J. Amer. Coll. Nutr. 16: 109-126, 1997 Stahl, W. and Sies, H. lycopene: a biologically important carotenoid for humans? Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 336: 1-9, 1996 EXTERNAL LINKS
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