Active Ingredinet:
Lycopene, the major red pigment of tomatoes, is a common carotenoid. Carotenoids are natural fat-soluble pigments found principally in plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria, they play a critical role in the photosynthetic process there. Tomatoes contain lycopene; cis-5-lycopene; cis-5, cis-5-lycopene; lycophyll; lycoxanthin; and the lycopene precursor, phytofluene. Other carotenoids often found with lycopene include alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, gamma-carotene, beta-chryptoxanthin and lutein. Carotenoids are defined by their chemical structure and are chemically described as terpenes made of isoprene subunits. The majority of carotenoids are derived from a 40-carbon polyene chain, which could be considered as the backbone of the molecule. This chain may be terminated by cyclic end-groups (rings) and may be complemented with oxygen-containing functional groups. The hydrocarbon carotenoids are known as carotenes, while oxygenated derivatives of these hydrocarbons are known as xanthophylls. All are powerful antioxidants. The distinctive pattern of alternating single and double bonds in the polyene backbone of carotenoids is what allows them to absorb excess energy from other molecules (antioxidant activity), while the nature of the specific end groups on carotenoids may influence their biological activity through their interaction with cell membranes. Carotenoids are always present in a living plant and decompose very slowly as compared to chlorophyll.