ISOLATION AND QUANTIFICATION OF LYCOPENE FROM TOMATO CULTIVATED IN DEZFOUL, IRAN

Lycopene is a pigment principally responsible for the characteristic deep-red color of ripe tomato fruits and products. It, as a natural source of antioxidants, has attracted attentions due to its biological and physicochemical properties. In this study tomato paste prepared from tomato cultivated in Dezfoul (Khozestan) was dehydrated with methanol, then lycopene was extracted with methanol-carbon tetrachloride mixture. Pure lycopene was obtained by twice crystallization of crude product from benzene through addition of boiling methanol. Further purification was achieved using column chromatography with alumina as the adsorbent. Identification of chemical structure of the isolated lycopene was done using UV, IR, NMR and Mass spectroscopy. Average quantity of extracted pure lycopene was calculated as 2.313 mg per 100 g tomato paste.