Propiedades químicas, biológicas y valor nutritivo del licopeno

Diets containing plant-food, with a wide variety of phytochemical compounds such as flavonoids, carotenoids, monoterpens, isothiocyanates, and phytosterols, have been associated with health benefit effects. Carotenoids are natural pigments from plants and micro-organisms. Although the nutritional importance has been confined to those possessing pro-vitamin A activity, nowadays other carotenoids such as lycopene, have also emerged as nutritional compounds according to their biological properties. Lycopene is present in tomato, watermelon, papaya, apricot and pink grapefruit, providing tomato and tomato products the highest content in the diet. The health effects of lycopene derived from its free radical scavenging capacity, which is higher to those evaluated in other carotenoids, such as has been described in in vitro and in vivo studies. The epidemiological studies implicate the lycopene with the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and epithelial cancers. This review summarizes the importance of lycopene in the diet, its chemical and biological properties, and health benefit effects, remarking the aspects associated with the presence in tomarto and tomato comsuption.