Lycopene in tomatoes and tomato pulp fractions

Abstract

Lycopene, a carotenoid, is mainly responsible for the characteristic red colour in tomato fruit. HPLC and a spectrophotometric method were used to estimate lycopene in different fractions of tomato fruit such as tomato skin, the water insoluble fraction, the water soluble fraction and the fraction rich in fibre and soluble solids. The results indicated that 72 to 92% of the lycopene was associated with the water insoluble fraction and the skin. The tomato pulp fraction, rich in fibre, had more lycopene (42.3 mg/100 g) compared to the water soluble fraction (4.0 mg/100 g). Results indicate that lycopene can be accurately estimated by using either HPLC or the spectrophotometric method.