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ORGANIC HEALTH
P
hytochemicals found in food are increasingly
being highlighted in research for their health-
giving properties. Pigments found in heirloom
tomatoes, which give them their unique colours
and flavours, encompass a huge range of these
phytochemicals, many of which are antioxidants.
If you grow and eat all the different tomato colours
you will have a diet rich in antioxidants and may
reduce the risks of many chronic diseases. Of course,
a varied diet with lots of fruit and vegetables will
do the same, but I love the idea that heirloom
tomatoes can do a lot of it on their own.One of the best known tomato antioxidants is
lycopene (more technically known as all-trans-
lycopene). Red and pink tomatoes are one of the
best sources of this pigment. However, because of its
molecular structure, this lycopene is not easily absorbed
by the human body. Cooking tomatoes with fat (olive
oil) increases absorption, but still not to a high level.
Recent research has shown that higher lycopene
consumption is associated with a lower risk of prostate
cancer[1] and that there are clear benefits of lycopene
in the maintenance of cardiovascular function and
health.[2] So wouldn’t it be great if there was a form
of lycopene that was more readily absorbed? Well
there is, we just didn’t know about it – and it’s to
be found in tomatoes also.Going orange
Ongoing research has shown there are other forms of
lycopene that are 8.5 times more readily absorbed by
humans because of their different molecular structure,
whether eaten raw or cooked. These cis-lycopenes
(mostly tetra-cis-lycopene) give some orange/golden/
tangerine heirloom tomatoes their distinctive colour.[3 & 4]
Until recently it was assumed that all orange
tomatoes got their colour from beta-carotene (which
makes carrots orange), but it’s now clear that some
heirloom tomatoes are orange because of cis-lycopenes.
These tomatoes don’t contain any of the
all-trans-lycopene of typical red tomatoes. In
contrast, yellow tomatoes (not orange/golden)
generallycontaintheantioxidantsluteinand
beta-carotene,withvirtuallynolycopene.In golden
health
Penny Woodward tells of new research pointing to the
wonderful health benefits of golden/orange tomatoes.Clockwise from top left: ‘Moonglow’; ‘Persimmon’;
‘Golden Grape’; ‘Olga’s Round Golden Chicken Egg’
PHOTOS: HFCRT