Lycopene content in raw tomato varieties and tomato products

Abstract This study evaluated the lycopene content in raw tomato varieties and processed tomato products. The separation of lycopene isomers was conducted by high‐performance liquid chromatography. Lycopene content was determined on a dry weight basis (DWB). The function of three different isomers (cis, all‐trans and 5‐cis) of lycopene was examined. Data for raw tomato varieties were analyzed within and among groups. Cherry tomatoes ranked the highest in lycopene content. On DWB, Roma tomatoes contained the highest lycopene concentration, while the vine tomatoes ranked the lowest in lycopene content. Among processed tomato products, tomato paste ranked the highest in lycopene content and canned tomato juice the lowest. Furthermore, tomato catsup ranked the lowest in lycopene concentration after DWB. Different dilution ratios may contribute to significant variability in lycopene content.