Unique Tomatoes High in Antioxidants, Fights More Disease

Food scientists at Ohio State University in Columbus have grown a new, special variety of Orange tomatoes that may be higher in antioxidants than normal, garden grown red tomatoes. These Orange tomatoes are said to contain more lycopene than red tomatoes.

Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that may help prevent many cancers including prostate cancer, helps fight heart disease, macular degeneration and age related eye problems. It is readily found in red garden grown tomatoes and tomato products. Lycopene is what gives tomatoes and other vegetables their rich color.

What makes Orange tomatoes different from Red tomatoes is not the amount of lycopene, but the type of lycopene. Red tomatoes carry a large amount of lycopene that is not absorbed by the body well. The lycopene found is Orange tomatoes is a smaller amount than the red tomatoes but the body absorbs it better. "While red tomatoes contain far more lycopene than orange tomatoes, most of it is in a form that the body doesn't absorb well," Dr. Steven Schwartz, a professor of food science and technology at Ohio State, explained in a university-issued statement.

Dr. Schwartz and colleagues conducted a study and had 12 adult volunteers consume two different spaghetti meals on separate occasion. Red tomatoes were used in the sauce of one meal and Orange tomatoes in the other. Participants were asked not to eat tomatoes or tomato products for thirteen days before the study. Their blood was taken and analyzed for lycopene content right before the meal and every one to two hours after the meal up to ten hours. The results showed the lycopene levels were 2.5 times higher after consuming the meal using the orange tomatoes versus the meal made using red tomatoes.

"The people in the study actually consumed less lycopene when they ate sauce made from the orange tomatoes, but they absorbed far more lycopene than they would have if it had come from red tomatoes," he noted. The study also found that tomatoes provide a small amount of beta carotene. Currently, carrots and sweet potatoes are the only vegetables with beta carotene that are readily available.

Orange tomatoes are not readily available at grocery stores. The tomatoes used in the study were grown at Ohio State University. Dr. Schwartz and colleagues suggest picking out orange or gold colored heirloom tomatoes as an alternative. Caution should be taken as these varieties have not been tested for their lycopene content.