CAS: 502-65-8
Function:
Lycopene is a fat-soluble antioxidant that scavenges free radicals. Free radicals are molecules that possess a single electron; stable molecules contain pairs of electrons. Free radicals move around inside the cell and bump into other cells in order to gain the electron they need to become stable. This "bumping" into other cells causes damage called oxidation. Oxidation is associated with a number of chronic diseases and is harmful to DNA.Antioxidants block the oxidation of molecules in the cells. Of all the antioxidants, which include vitamins A, C, and E, lycopene has shown the highest physical quenching rate of the free radical-producing singlet oxygen, nearly twice as high as [beta]-carotene's rate.
Lycopene has what is known as the all-trans configuration in fresh tomatoes. Applying heat to tomatoes causes isomerization of the all-trans configuration to a form called cis-trans. Cis-trans isomers, which are more bioavailable than all-trans isomers, increase with temperature and processing time. As a result, processed tomato products have higher levels of lycopene and lycopene bioavailability than fresh tomatoes.
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