Carotenoid and Flavonoid Absorption From Red and Tangerine-Type Tomatoes

Study Summary

Eating a diet rich in tomatoes has been associated with decreased risk for a variety of diseases. Tomatoes contain red-colored lycopene (one type of pigment in the class of pigments called carotenoids), which has been associated with the decreased risk of disease in those consuming tomato products; however, tomatoes also contain flavonoids, which may also have health promoting effects. The Tangerine tomato, a unique tomato variety, contains lycopene in a different form that in red tomatoes and this contributes to their characteristic orange color. This "orange lycopene" is more similar to the most common form of lycopene found in the blood and tissue of people who eat a tomato-rich diet, and may be more easily absorbed by the body. The objectives of this study are to determine if carotenoids and flavonoids from Tangerine tomatoes are more easily absorbed by the body than red tomatoes, and to examine if eating Tangerine versus red tomatoes impacts markers of inflammation (response to harmful substances by the body).

Primary Outcome

The primary goal of this research is to determine if a processed tangerine tomato product has enhanced bioavailability of carotenoids and flavonoids compared to a commercially available processed red tomato product in humans. An area under the curve for concentration of carotenoids (from triglyceride rich lipoprotein (TRL) fraction of plasma) by using carotenoid concentrations from hours 0, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12 over time to quantify absorption, after subjects consume a meal containing tan

Conditions Studied

Interventions

• OTHER Tangerine tomato juice
• OTHER Red tomato juice

Study Locations (1)