Lycopene content of tomatoes and tomato products and their contribution to dietary lycopene

Tomatoes are an integral part of diet world wide. Many population studies have established link between dietary intake of tomatoes, a major source of a carotenoid antioxidant lycopene and reduced risk of chronic diseases. This study evaluates the lycopene contents of various commonly consumed tomato products and estimates its daily intake levels. A fast and simple spectrophotometric method for routine analysis of lycopene was developed and validated against HPLC method. Lycopene content in various tomato products ranged from 42 ppm to 365 ppm. Average daily dietary lycopene intake levels were assessed by administering food frequency questionnaire and were estimated to be 25.2 mg day(-1). Fresh tomatoes accounted for 50% of total lycopene intake. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology. All rights reserved.