Stability of Lycopene, β–Carotene and Vitamin A in Tomatoes and Some Tomato Products

Tomatoes are among the most widely consumed vegetables worldwide and an important source of certain antioxidants including lycopene , β-carotene and vitamin A , and also have important anticarcinogenic properties. Consumption of tomato and tomato products for their content of antioxidants could be of a great benefitforhumanhealth.Inthepresent study, lycopene, β-carotene and vitamin A contents of tomatoes and tomato products (including tomato juice, jam, paste, purée, sauce, soup, powder and ketchup) were determined by HPLC. Data showed that the concentrations of lycopene, β-carotene and vitamin A in tomato products ranged from 6596 to 214952 μg/100g, 170 to 5540 μg/100g and 283.63 to 9242.94 IU/100g, respectively. The highest concentrations of lycopene, β-carotene and vitamin A were traced in tomato paste with oil followed by tomato paste without oil. The stability of lycopene, β-carotene and vitamin A in tomato ketchup during storage for 3 months were influencedbyenvironmentalfactorssuchastemperatureandlight. The stability of the aforementioned compounds A in tomato ketchup during storage at ambient temperature or at 4ْ C were affected by the light exposure as compared to samples which stored in the dark.