Application of lycopene

Lycopene is a carotene and a red pigment in plant foods. Dark red acicular crystal, soluble in chloroform, benzene and oil, but insoluble in water. It is unstable to light and oxygen, and turns brown when it meets iron. It has no physiological activity of vitamin A, but has strong antioxidant function. The content of mature red plant fruits is higher, especially in tomatoes, carrots, watermelon, papaya and guava. It can be used as pigment in food processing and also as raw material of antioxidant health food.

Application of lycopene:

(1) Health products and sports supplements: mainly used for anti-oxidation, anti-aging, enhancing immunity, regulating blood lipids, etc;

(2) Cosmetics: whitening and anti-aging effects;

(3) Food and beverage: In the field of food and beverage, lycopene has obtained the approval of "novel food" in Europe and the GRAS (generally considered safe) status in the United States, among which non-alcoholic beverages are the most popular. Applying it to dairy products not only keeps the nutrition of dairy products but also enriches their health functions;

(4) Meat products: lycopene is the main component of red pigment in tomatoes and other fruits. It has strong antioxidant capacity and good physiological function, and can be used as a preservative and colorant for meat products. In addition, the acidity of tomato products rich in lycopene will reduce the pH value of meat and inhibit the growth of spoilage microorganisms to a certain extent. Therefore, it can be used as a preservative for meat food and play a role in partially replacing nitrite.

(5) Edible oil: lycopene has superior physiological functions and strong antioxidant ability, which can efficiently quench singlet oxygen and eliminate free radicals, and inhibit lipid peroxidation. Therefore, adding it to edible oil can alleviate oil deterioration.

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