Cherry tomato high in Lycopene
Published June 28th, 2007
An Israeli company has just created a new tasty tomato that is high in natural antioxidants that can help treat and prevent disease.
Naturally bred to include high amounts of the compound lycopene, previously available only as a dietary supplement, the Israeli-developed Lyc-O-Mato brand self-dried cherry tomato raisin will now be available as a food additive.
Lycopene is a nutrient and antioxidant that is naturally occurring in small quantities in vegetables such as tomatoes. It has been suggested that it can help treat cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and even male infertility. It is also useful in supporting skin health.
LycoRed Israel’s Lyc-O-Mato will be launched at the end of July at the annual meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists. Developed for the purpose of fortification in everyday foods at Israel’s Volcani Agricultural Research Institute, each tomato provides over 1mg of lycopene. Ordinary tomatoes, several times larger than the dried out Lyc-O-Mato, only contain a fraction of a milligram of the substance. It is recommended to consume 5mg daily, so eating only five of these tomatoes daily fulfills dietary recommendations.
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