Lycopene

In Saturday Swot Shop we like to get under the skin of things so the time is ripe to get under the skin of tomatoes. More specifically what turns them red (other than being planted out in a pair of underpants).

So if it’s not embarrassment what does cause a tomato to turn red?

• It’s Lycopene. Lycopene is the main carotenoid in tomato and lycopene is red in pigment. Carotenoids are phytochemicals;  naturally occuring chemical compounds, found in plants.

Carotenoid? I thought we were talking tomatoes.

• Carotenoids are nutrients present in fruit and vegetables. Lycopene is the carotenoid found in tomatoes. Lycopene is a potent antioxidant which means it is central to the process of cleaning up free radicals.
• Free radicals can damage cells, damage which can trigger disease.

So eating lots of tomatoes is good?

• Yes, although tomatoes are unusual.  Where as heating and cooking usually dissipates the nutrients available to us from fruit and vegetables, with lycopene it increases. So tomato paste and sauce although cooked have more available lycopene than fresh tomatoes.

In which case make mine a thin crust Margherita please!

Tagged as: antioxidant in tomatoes, red pigment tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce