What Are The Functions Of Lycopene?
What is Lycopene?
Lycopene is a natural pigment contained in plants and belongs to a type of carotenoid. It does not have the physiological activity of vitamin A, but has a strong antioxidant function,is one of the strongest antioxidants found in plants in nature.It is found in high levels in mature red plant fruits, especially in tomatoes, carrots, watermelons, papayas and guavas.The lycopene content in tomatoes varies with variety and maturity. The higher the maturity, the higher the lycopene content.It can be used as a pigment in food processing and is also often used as a raw material for antioxidant Health Foods.
What Are The Functions Of Lycopene?
1.Lowering blood lipids and blood pressure
Supplementing lycopene to the human body can inhibit the formation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol oxidation products, prevent the occurrence of coronary heart disease, and play a positive role in controlling blood lipids and blood pressure. It has unique effects in improving vascular elasticity and reducing vascular sclerosis.
2.Antioxidant effect
Lycopene can most effectively remove free radicals in the human body, maintain normal cell metabolism, and prevent aging. It is known as the "gold hidden in tomatoes". Long-term supplementation of lycopene can enhance the antioxidant level and improve the body's antioxidant capacity.
The human body will produce a certain amount of free radicals due to metabolism, just like coal burning produces coal ash. Under normal circumstances, the human body can remove free radicals by itself. However, due to aging, illness and other reasons, the generation and removal of free radicals may lose balance, resulting in excessive accumulation of free radicals in the human body. Free radicals will attack normal cells and cell tissues, react with proteins, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), and lipid macromolecules in the human body, weaken their functions, destroy their structures, and then cause a series of pathological changes in the body. Carotenoids including Zeaxanthin, lycopene and capsanthin all have certain antioxidant functions. Among them, lycopene has the highest ability to quench singlet oxygen free radicals, which is 100 times that of vitamin E and 2 times that of β-carotene. In addition, lycopene can also increase the activity of other antioxidants such as antioxidant enzymes, protect the integrity of cell membranes, cell nuclei and cell structures.
3.Protect the prostate
In men, lycopene is mainly distributed in tissues such as the testicles, prostate space, adrenal glands, liver, etc., which can help prevent and improve urinary system diseases such as prostate hyperplasia and prostatitis, and help improve male sperm quality and reduce the risk of infertility.
4.Protect the skin
Excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays can cause varying degrees of skin damage, produce erythema, accelerate wrinkles and spots, and even cause skin cancer. The reason is that ultraviolet rays can stimulate the generation of singlet oxygen and free radicals in the skin. Lycopene can effectively quench singlet oxygen in the skin and combine with free radicals to protect skin tissue from damage. It also has a significant fading effect on age spots.
5.Protect the nervous system
The brain is an organ that consumes a lot of oxygen. Excessive reactive oxygen and oxidative stress can cause many neurological diseases. Common neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease, oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are their main pathogenesis. Lycopene can slow down nerve damage through related pathways. Long-term intake of foods rich in lycopene can effectively improve the cognitive and memory abilities of the elderly. Lycopene has the effect of preventing the occurrence or development of neurodegenerative diseases.
6.Sober up
Lycopene also has a strong sobering effect. The metabolic process of alcohol in the human body is mainly redox reaction, which will produce a large number of free radicals. Taking lycopene on a regular basis can increase the amount of alcohol; taking it before drinking, the sobering effect is significant, and it can reduce the damage of alcohol to the liver; and taking it after being drunk can reduce symptoms of drunkenness such as headache and vomiting.
What Is The Application Of Lycopene?
1.Preservative substitute: During the long-term transportation and storage of meat products, oxidation often changes the flavor and color of the food. People often use nitrite to inhibit the growth of microorganisms, extend the shelf life, and prevent corruption and deterioration. Studies have shown that nitrite is a carcinogen, but lycopene, a red pigment, has strong antioxidant properties and can be used to replace nitrite. It is an emerging superior preservative and colorant. Adding lycopene products can reduce the pH of meat products, inhibit the growth of bacteria and keep fresh.
2.Lycopene is mostly used in health foods, and its main functions are to enhance immunity, anti-oxidation, and delay aging. Under the demand for nutrition and health, lycopene products have been known to more people and purchased for consumption. People take exogenous nutrients or supplement dietary nutrition to prevent cells from being damaged by free radicals and enhance immunity.
3.Lycopene can be added to lipsticks, sunscreens and other products as a skin repair substance to nourish the skin, strengthen the skin, and prevent ultraviolet burns. At the same time, it can also be used as a new cosmetic raw material in sunscreen products, skin care products, etc.
What Is The Extraction Method Of Lycopene?
In industry, lycopene products are mainly extracted from tomatoes and autumn olives. The human body cannot synthesize lycopene by itself and can only be taken in through eating vegetables and fruits. Lycopene is widely distributed in the human body and can be found in many organs and tissues, which shows that lycopene is of great significance to the human body.
Lycopene is a fat-soluble pigment, and can generally be directly extracted by solvent. There are also supercritical CO2 extraction, HPLC, enzyme, microbial fermentation, and direct crushing extraction. Among them, supercritical CO2 extraction overcomes the shortcomings of the solvent method, such as poor quality, solvent residue, low purity, high toxicity, and high pollution.
In addition to the above methods of using tomatoes as raw materials, there are also methods of preparing lycopene by fermenting algae, fungi, and yeast. Currently, there are red bacteria rich in lycopene; using mold fermentation, under slightly alkaline conditions, the pectinase and cellulase in the tomato skin react to decompose pectin and cellulose, so that the protein complex of lycopene is dissolved from the cells, thereby obtaining a water-dispersible pigment.