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Unique tomatoes tops in disease-fighting antioxidants

sorbed from the beta carotene-rich tomatoes and, Schwartz said, from typical red tomato varieties. Cis-lycopene levels spiked around five hours after eating the tangerine tomato sauce, and at this point during absorption the levels were some 200 times greater than those of trans-lycopene, which were nearly non-existent. While cis-lycopene is by far the most abundant isomer in these tomatoes, they do contain trace amounts of trans-lycopene.

The participants' bodies also readily absorbed beta carotene from the beta carotene-rich tomatoes.

"Right now, only carrots and sweet potatoes are a more readily available, richer source of beta carotene," Schwartz said. "And this carotenoid is a major source of vitamin A for a large proportion of the world's population. Its deficiency is a serious health problem in many developing countries.

"Our study showed that a tomato can also increase beta carotene levels in the blood," Schwartz said. While these special tomatoes were grown just for this study, the researchers have pre-commercial lines of both varieties available.

He conducted the study with Ohio State colleagues David Francis, an associate professor of horticulture and crop science; Steven Clinton, an associate professor of hematology and oncology and human nutrition; Nuray Unlu, a former postdoctoral researcher in food science; and Torsten Bohn, a former postdoctoral fellow in food science at Ohio State.


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Source:Ohio State University


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