Lycopene - A Review: Chemistry, Source, Health Role, Extraction, Applications

Lycopene is an unsaturated carotenoid pigment which is acyclic and open chain, of great dietary prominence obtained mainly from colored plant sources. It is a phytochemical which is found mainly in red amaranth, tomatoes, water melon and other plants and fruits mostly red colored which covered various antioxidant which attracted attentions due to its biological properties. Lycopene has critical role in the prevention of tumor and cancer. Various ways can be utilized to identify, extract and purify lycopene from various sources by efficient analytical support. Several analyses have been attended for the extraction and quantification of lycopene in various natural sources such as various red leaf plants and fruits. This review study highlights lycopene as a carotenoid pigment including auspicious nutraceutical implications, and counts the important plant and also microbial sources for its production, and methods to calculate its bioavailability and utilization.