- THURSDAY, Aug. 21 (HealthDay News) — A new way of processing red
tomatoes that may boost their disease-fighting power has been developed by
Ohio State University researchers.

Red tomatoes are rich in the antioxidant lycopene, a naturally
occurring pigment believed to help prevent cancer and other chronic
diseases. The standard structure of lycopene in red tomatoes is linear,
which may hinder the molecule's absorption through intestinal walls and
into the blood, explained Steven Schwartz, a professor of food science and
technology and an investigator in the university's Comprehensive Cancer
Center.

Most lycopene molecules circulating in human blood have a bent
structure. This indicates that either the human body somehow reshapes
linear lycopene molecules or that bent molecules are much more likely to
be absorbed into the blood.

Working on the assumption that the latter is true, Schwartz and his
colleagues developed a method of restructuring linear lycopene molecules
into bent molecules. This is done by combining tomatoes with fat and
subjecting them to intense heat during processing into tomato sauce.

In a clinical trial, the Ohio State team found that people had 55
percent more lycopene in their blood after eating the specially processed
sauce than they did after consuming regular red tomato sauce.

The research was presented Wednesday at the American Chemical Society
national meeting, in Philadelphia.

Food processing is often criticized for its tendency to deplete
vegetables of nutrients, change their color and affect their taste.

“Instead, here is a case where processing is positive in terms of
enhancing absorption of lycopene,” Schwartz said.

More information

The American Dietetic Association has more about lycopene.