Although increasing the nutritional value of foods is the goal of so-called
second-generation biotechnology products, there have been few success
stories.
"This is one of the first examples of increasing the nutritional
value of food through biotechnology," Handa says. "In fact,
it may be the first example of using biotechnology to increase the nutritional
value of a fruit."
Lycopene is a pigment that gives tomatoes their characteristic red
color. It is one of hundreds of carotenoids that color fruits and vegetables
red, orange or yellow. Of these pigments, the most familiar is beta-carotene,
which is found in carrots.
In the human body, these pigments capture electrically charged oxygen
molecules that can damage tissue. That's why they are called antioxidants.
Lycopene has been the focus of much attention since 1995, when a six-year
study of nearly 48,000 men by Harvard University found that men who
ate at least 10 servings of foods per week containing tomato sauce or
tomatoes were 45 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer. The
study also found that those who ate four to seven servings per week
were 20 percent less likely to develop the cancer.
As an antioxidant, lycopene is able to capture twice as many oxygen
ions in the body as is beta-carotene.
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