Lycopene
- ψ, ψ -carotene
- C. I. 75125
- C. I. Natural yellow 27
- E 160d
- ( 6E, 8E, 10E, 12E, 14E, 16E, 18E, 20E, 22E, 24E, 26E ) - 2,6,10,14,19,23,27,31 - Octamethyldotriaconta -2, 6,8,10, 12,14,16,18,20,22,24,26,30 - tridecaen (IUPAC)
Dark red needles
Fixed
175 ° C.
- Insoluble in water
- Poorly in ethanol
- Moderately in vegetable oils
Template: Infobox chemical / molecular formula search available
Lycopene, lycopene or Leukopin also belongs to the class of carotenoids and is in high concentrations in tomatoes - whose scientific name Solanum lycopersicum of the Identification of the substance originates - and rosehip found. The substance is one of the tetraterpenes and due to its polyene structure having a red color, which gives also the tomato their characteristic color. It is approved as a food colorant E 160d in the EU. Lycopene is one of the antioxidants and is considered radical scavengers, ie, it can neutralize certain reactive molecules in the human body.
Occurrence and extraction
Ripe tomatoes have lycopene of about 3.9 to 5.6 mg per 100 g of fruit. Also Watermelons can contain about this concentration of lycopene (up to 1000 ppm of dry matter).
Much more lycopene include canned tomatoes with about 10 mg per 100 grams, as they are usually harvested when ripe. Concentrated tomato paste contains very high lycopene concentrations (about 62 mg of lycopene per 100 grams). The Red Lattice Ling ( Clathrus ruber) owes its red color also carotenoids, in the first place the lycopene.
The availability of lycopene in processed and heated products (eg tomato juice ) than raw, because on heating the plant cell structures are broken and the lycopene is dissolved. A significant Resorptionssteigerung is achieved by the combination with fat. Industrially, lycopene is extracted with organic solvents (hexane, dichloromethane, methanol) of tomato concentrates.
Use
Lycopene is declared as a red food coloring as carotenoid ( see also carotenes (E 160a - 160f ) ) and used for the coloration of food. It is mainly used for dyeing of savory products, soups and sauces.
Biological effect
Carotenoids, in particular lycopene, among the most effective naturally occurring quenchers for singlet oxygen 1O2. This is formed, for example, by photo- chemical reactions in the absorption of light and is highly reactive. It can oxidize several amino acids in proteins, nucleic acids and unsaturated fatty acids. When Quenchingreaktion the carotenoids go to an excited triplet state ( 1O2 → 3O2 1Car 3Car ). Then the carotenoids achieve by releasing heat back to the ground state ( 3Car → 1Car heat). The carotenoid molecules are thus not chemically converted in this reaction and are thus available for further Quenchingprozesse available. Quenchingrate the lycopene is very high (about twice as large as that of β -carotene and 100 times as great as α -tocopherol). However, this laboratory found antioxidant activity does not automatically mean a health-promoting effect of lycopene.
There was evidence that the consumption of lycopene leads to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer (especially prostate cancer), diabetes mellitus, to suffer osteoporosis and infertility. A recent large study of approximately 28,000 subjects suggests, however, that no relationship between lycopene and cancer risk. Rather, it was found that the related antioxidant β -carotene increases the risk of prostate cancer. An in vitro study from 2012 showed that lycopene can inhibit the binding of certain cancer cells to the blood supply and thus prevent growth. A protective effect in stress - asthma could not be shown.
In humans, lycopene is degraded by using the β -carotene dioxygenase 2 ( BCDO2 ). The degradation products are pseudoionone, geranial, and 2- methyl-2 -hepten- 6-one.