Tomato ( Lycopersicum Esculentum ) is an important fruit crop in the Americas, Southern Europe, the Middle East, and India, with growing production in China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Used in pharmaceutical manufacturing, especially for oral delivery; it is a popular vegetable. Its fruit contains no toxic substances and can be eaten fresh; it is easily prepared; The plant can be propagated by seed or asexually by tip or bud cuttings; The tree has high fruit yield; has reasonable biomass and protein content. Tomatoes are naturally rich in Lycopene. Tomatoes are one of the fruits with strong antioxidant properties.
Tomatoes have been considered a rich source of minerals, vitamins, organic acids, dietary fibers and are also a rich source of bioactive compounds such as phenolics, vitamins and ascorbic acid. It also has significant amounts of lycopene, beta-carotene, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, riboflavin, niacin and thiamine. Lycopene is one of the most important components of tomatoes, which is lipophilic. Lycopene's presence of many conjugated double bonds makes it a powerful antioxidant, a characteristic feature of its beneficial effects. Antioxidants are effective means to counteract the harmful effects of free oxygen species and oxidative stress generated during tomato metabolism. Lycopene has been extensively studied for its antioxidant benefits in the treatment of various chronic human diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and immune system deficiency.
