LyCopene as PhytoNutrient

LyCopene as Phytonutrient Compound and Its Role for Human Health

(part 1, derived from Asroruddin Thesis)

Chronic illness, including cancer and cardiovascular illness, is the death main cause in West countries. Apart from the genetic factor and age, diet and lifestyle are the important risk factor that must be thought about. And it is possible it can happen to the small country like Indonesia because of the changes of lifestyle and diet that also happen there recently.

Around 50% from all the cancer diseases are caused by food. The existence of reactive oxygen that interacted with cell components, caused damages of lipid, protein and DNA molecules. Many facts shows that this damage plays important role in the occurrence of chronic illness.

Antioxidant as a protective agency that inactivates reactive oxygen species plays important role in reducing the occurrence of this damage. Antioxidants like vitamin E, vitamin C, polifenol and can be found in food, including the fruit and vegetables.Lycopene as one of antioxidant compounds becomes interesting to be discussed because of its important in preventing illness.

Lycopene is one of phytochemical compounds or phytonutrient that is useful for the health, so it is with other carotenoid compounds, for example xantin, lutein, et cetera. This compound is different from vitamins and minerals. It will not endanger life when the deficiency happening. However, the function is important for the health of humankind. Likopen is a pigment synthesized by plant and micro-organism. It gives the yelowish red colour in vegetables and fruit, and it is categorized as carotenoid group.

Today, there are many clinical evidences that lycopene is one of compounds that plays important role in the prevention of epitel cell cancers especially the cancer of prostate, lungs and digestion channel.

Lycopene Physical and Chemical Characteristics
Lycopene has molecule formula C40H56 and molecule weight 536.85 Da. Its melting point is 172°C – 175°C. The form of lycopene is a crystal like a needle, long, in the form of flour with brownish colour. lycopene dissolves in chloroform, benzen, heksen, and other organic solvent. Lycopene can experience degradation through the isomerization process and oxidation because of the light, oxygen, high temperature, the drainage technique, abrading process, storage and acid.

Likopen with its typical structure shows its unique characteristics as antioxidant. It can bind single oxygen and catch peroxide. Its capacity in binding single oxygen 2 times higher than ß-karoten and 10 times stronger than a-tokoferol.