According to research, cooking tomatoes for at least two hours at a temperature of one hundred degrees Fahrenheit will release the lycopene and make it more readily available to the body. Canned tomatoes are another fantastic option to consider. Lycopene, along with a variety of other vitamins and minerals, may be found in plenty in spaghetti sauce, as well as any other red sauce that is prepared from tomatoes. Fruit or vegetable? That has always been the age-old debate. To start, what exactly are tomatoes? The answer, from a botanical and scientific point of view, is a fruit; nonetheless, the majority of people believe them to be vegetables. In all candor, the response does not make a difference for ninety-nine point one percent of the population. The only things that count are the flavor and the advantages to our health that we obtain from eating tomatoes. 
The presence of the pigment lycopene in tomatoes is responsible for some of the positive effects that tomatoes have on our health. Lycopene levels in fresh tomatoes, dried tomatoes, and tomato paste were investigated as part of a research project carried out by experts in Poland. High-performance liquid chromatography was used in the study that was just published in the journal Open Chemistry to determine the amount of lycopene present (HPLC). However, what exactly is lycopene, and how exactly might it help us? Tomatoes and other foods with red flesh, such as watermelons and grapefruit, are good sources of lycopene, a natural molecule that is a brilliant red carotenoid hydrocarbon. Lycopene is present in high concentrations in these foods. Carotenoids are a class of chemicals that are responsible for giving many plants and their fruit their vibrant colors, including red, orange, and yellow. In contrast to alpha- and beta-carotene, which are also carotenoids, lycopene does not have any vitamin A action despite being a carotenoid. 
Lycopene in tomato paste
According to the researchers who authored the report that was linked above, more than eighty percent of the lycopene that people consume in their diet comes from processed tomato products such as ketchup, tomato juice, and sauces that are used in spaghetti and on pizzas. These processed tomato products come from tomatoes that have been heated to remove their natural pigments. The principal residue that is produced as a result of processing tomatoes is known as tomato pomace. This residue has the potential to become a substantial by-product as well as a source of lycopene, beta-carotene, phenolic acids, and flavonoids. It also has the potential to be a source of flavonoids. The researchers looked examined fresh and dried tomatoes, along with tomato paste and tomato pomace, to determine the quantities of lycopene that were present in each kind. 
Using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), they determined how much lycopene was in the samples after first having it extracted from the samples themselves. One of the topics that is discussed in the research work entitled Practical Considerations for High-Throughput Chiral Screening in HPLC and SFC with 3- and Sub-2-m Particle-Packed Columns is the utilization of HPLC for the purpose of analyzing materials. The study team found that the amounts of lycopene in fresh tomatoes that were gathered in the months of August and September varied seasonally from year to year. These variations were due to periodic shifts in the tomato crop. Tomato paste was shown to have the greatest concentration of lycopene of any food, with 1827 percent more lycopene than tomatoes that had been freshly plucked off the vine. Both the dried tomatoes and the tomato paste revealed seasonal differences; to achieve the best results, pick your tomatoes in the month of August. 
Lycopene in raw tomatoes
The lycopene that is present in tomato products that have been exposed to heat processing is shown to have a greater degree of bioavailability than the lycopene that is found in fresh tomatoes by a number of different studies. It has been demonstrated that one hundred grams of ketchup contains between 9.9 and 13.44 mg of lycopene, but one hundred grams of fresh tomatoes has only between 0.88 and 7.44 mg of lycopene for every one hundred grams of wet weight. You can and will obtain a sufficient quantity of lycopene from raw tomatoes if you consume raw tomatoes as part of a raw food diet that is both healthy and balanced. Alternately, if you are not fully raw, you may most certainly still have some cooked tomatoes in a vegan soup that is low in fat. This is a perfectly acceptable option. For example, one hundred grams of ketchup has 9.9–13.44 milligrams of lycopene, but one hundred grams of fresh tomatoes might have anywhere from 0.88–7.74 milligrams of lycopene per one hundred grams of wet weight (Rao et al. 1998, Nguyen & Schwartz 1998). The amount of lycopene that is consumed through food is highly varied and can be attributed to the population that is being investigated. 
Lycopene in pizza tomato sauce
In this study, intake of lycopene and other antioxidants from lycopene-rich foods (such as pizza and pasta) was examined simultaneously with plasma levels of lycopene and other antioxidants in a representative cross-sectional sample (187 Blacks, 182 Whites, 40–79 years old) taken from the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS). The Southeastern Chronic Disease Study (SCCS) is an ongoing study that is being undertaken among people in the Southeastern United States that are at high risk for developing chronic illnesses. At the beginning of the study (between the years 2002 and 2005), plasma levels of lycopene and other antioxidants were tested, and dietary consumption was evaluated with the help of a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The amount of pizza and pasta that the participants ate was used to divide them into tertiles for classification purposes. Both the amount of lycopene in the food and the amount of lycopene in the plasma were substantially greater in the highest tertile (tertile 3) compared to the first and second lowest tertiles (both P 0.01). Intakes of total energy varied from 1964.3 117.1 kcal/day (tertile 1) to 3277.7 115.8 kcal/day (tertile 3) (P 0.0001), with the first tertile having the highest average. After making adjustments for age and total calorie consumption, we found that tertile 3 had substantially greater intakes of total dietary fat, saturated fatty acids, trans-fatty acids, and salt than tertiles 2 and 1 (all P values less than 0.01). The consumption of vitamin C was found to be statistically substantially lower in tertile 3 in comparison to tertiles 1 and 2 (P = 0.003). Plasma concentrations of antioxidants were found to be lower in tertile 3 than in tertiles 1 and 2 (-carotene, -carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, all P0.05), with the exception of beta-tocopherol, which was found to be greater in tertile 3 than in tertiles 1 and 2 (P = 0.015). 
Does tomato ketchup have lycopene?
The carotenoid component in tomato ketchup , in particular lycopene, is responsible for the bulk of the tomato's nutritional value. Lycopene is more easily available in processed tomato products than in raw tomatoes. This is because the creation of lycopene cis-isomers during food processing and storage may improve the biological activity of lycopene. The reason for this is that fresh tomatoes do not have any lycopene in them. In the current study, we investigated the effects of lycopene extracts of 5 mg/mL from a variety of tomato-based food items (paste, sauce, extract, and ketchup) for a period of 96 hours on the cell viability and apoptosis of primary human prostate cancer cells. This was done in order to determine whether or not lycopene extracts from tomato-based food items can inhibit the progression of prostate cancer (PCa cels). After treating primary PCa cells with lycopene produced from one of four food items containing tomato, we observed a significant decrease in the cells' potential to reproduce when utilizing the MTT test. This result was obtained after the cells were subjected to the treatment. 
According to the findings of a flow cytometric research, lycopene, which comes from tomato extract and tomato sauce, can cause as much as a fiftyfold increase in the fraction of cells that have committed suicide? This was in contrast to the group that was used as a control for the experiment. We demonstrated that the presence of lycopene in PCa cells caused a downregulation of Bcl-2 expression as well as an overexpression of TP53 and Bax transcript expression by using a real time PCR test. This was in addition to the overexpression of Bax transcript expression. In conclusion, our research shows that cis-lycopene caused a substantial decrease in primary PCa cell viability while simultaneously causing an increase in the rates at which these cells underwent apoptosis. This demonstrates that the cis-lycopene found in tomato sauce and tomato extract has the ability to primarily influence the survival of primary human prostate cancer cells. 
Tomato lycopene benefits
There are an infinite number of articles floating around the Internet that describe how lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that is found in tomatoes, is somehow more available in cooked tomatoes than it is in raw tomatoes. These studies describe how cooking tomatoes makes lycopene more accessible. From the titles of these articles designed to attract clicks, we can see that broad statements are being made to the effect that cooking is somehow required in order to make meals healthier. People who are interested in improving their health and adopting a plant-based diet sometimes find themselves in a state of bewilderment when they first become aware of the raw vegan diet. The information regarding lycopene that lends itself well to headlines does not reveal the whole story. Let's go a little deeper to get a better understanding of what's going on, shall we? Yes, lycopene can become more concentrated in cooked tomatoes, and they also make it slightly easier to reach. However, why? Does heat contribute to the occurrence of this phenomenon? And maybe most importantly, are we endangering our health in some way by continuing to consume uncooked tomatoes? 
Lycopene in tomato juice
Tomato juice containing one cup's worth (240 mL) of liquid contains around 23 milligrams of the antioxidant lycopene per serving. When raw tomatoes are treated to heat during the processing step, the naturally occurring lycopene in the tomatoes can be transformed into a form that is more easily absorbed by the body (for example, when tomatoes are used to make tomato juice, tomato paste, or ketchup). Because it contains a variety of vitamins, minerals, and potent antioxidants, tomato juice is a popular beverage that provides a substantial level of nutritious value. This is due to the presence of tomato juice (1). Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that has been shown to improve one's health in a variety of ways, is found at very high concentrations in the product. Tomato juice consumption on a regular basis may help to stimulate bowel movement, which in turn lowers the risk of developing constipation and enhances digestion. Regular consumption of tomato juice can be good for the prevention of constipation due to the high fiber content of tomato juice and the fact that it also has a mild laxative effect. The use of this juice has the potential to either prevent or alleviate constipation. 
Jul 12, 2018. In each and every serving of 11.5 ounces of V8 juice, you will find the following components: It has 70 calories, 140 milligrams of sodium, vitamins A and C, 820 milligrams of potassium, 2% of the daily intake for iron and magnesium, and 3 grams of fiber. Lycopene is present at a level of 29.4 milligrams. Although processed tomatoes have the highest quantities of lycopene, fresh tomatoes, watermelon, and pink grapefruit are all great sources of this antioxidant. The highest levels of lycopene are found in processed tomatoes. As a consequence of this, there is a strong possibility that they will cause an increase in your blood pressure. The body retains more water than it requires when there is an excess of sodium, which places additional pressure on the heart muscle.
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