Effect of combination intake of tomato and cheese on promoting lycopene absorption

Abstract

An open-label, crossover study was conducted to evaluate the effect of combination intake of tomato and cheese on promoting absorption of lycopene, a major carotenoid in tomato. Subjects consumed either tomato puree alone (24 mg of lycopene) or a combination of tomato puree and cheese (24 mg of lycopene and 19.5 g of fat). The results revealed that combination intake of tomato puree and cheese significa ntly increased the concentration of lycopene in serum and the serum triglyceride-rich lipoprotein fraction compared to intake of tomato puree alone. Therefore, it was revealed that consuming tomato with cheese could enhance lycopene absorption.