Cooking spaghetti sauce concentrates the antioxidants in tomatoes like lycopene and makes those nutrients more bioavailable. There is a loss of vitamin C during the cooking process but Cornell food scientists say the benefits outweigh the loss.
Writing in the latest issue of the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry(April 17), Rui Hai Liu, M.D., Cornell assistant professor of food science, notes, "This research demonstrates that heat processing actually enhanced the nutritional value of tomatoes by increasing the lycopene content -- a phytochemical that makes tomatoes red -- that can be absorbed by the body, as well as the total antioxidant activity. The research dispels the popular notion that processed fruits and vegetables have lower nutritional value than fresh produce."
Tomato samples were heated to 88 degrees Celsius (190.4 degrees Fahrenheit) for two minutes, a quarter-hour and a half-hour. Consistent with previous studies, vitamin C content decreased by 10, 15 and 29 percent, respectively, when compared to raw, uncooked tomatoes. However, the research revealed that the beneficial trans-lycopene content of the cooked tomatoes increased by 54, 171 and 164 percent, respectively. Levels of cis -lycopene (which the body easily absorbs) rose by 6, 17 and 35 percent, respectively; and antioxidant levels in the heated tomatoes increased by 28, 34 and 62 percent, respectively.
Antioxidants act as radical scavenger, hydrogen donor, electron donor, peroxide decomposer, singlet oxygen quencher, enzyme inhibitor, synergist, and metal-chelating agents.
"While these findings go against the notion that processed fruits and vegetables have lower nutritional value, this may create a new image for processed fruits and vegetables," says Liu. "Ultimately, this could increase consumers' intake of fruits and vegetables and could possibly reduce a person's risk of chronic disease."
AVOID SUPPLEMENTS! Get as much nutrition from organic foods as possible. If you buy a supplement, choose one made from organic whole foods, NOT CHEMICALS!
Writing in the latest issue of the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry(April 17), Rui Hai Liu, M.D., Cornell assistant professor of food science, notes, "This research demonstrates that heat processing actually enhanced the nutritional value of tomatoes by increasing the lycopene content -- a phytochemical that makes tomatoes red -- that can be absorbed by the body, as well as the total antioxidant activity. The research dispels the popular notion that processed fruits and vegetables have lower nutritional value than fresh produce."
Tomato samples were heated to 88 degrees Celsius (190.4 degrees Fahrenheit) for two minutes, a quarter-hour and a half-hour. Consistent with previous studies, vitamin C content decreased by 10, 15 and 29 percent, respectively, when compared to raw, uncooked tomatoes. However, the research revealed that the beneficial trans-lycopene content of the cooked tomatoes increased by 54, 171 and 164 percent, respectively. Levels of cis -lycopene (which the body easily absorbs) rose by 6, 17 and 35 percent, respectively; and antioxidant levels in the heated tomatoes increased by 28, 34 and 62 percent, respectively.
Antioxidants act as radical scavenger, hydrogen donor, electron donor, peroxide decomposer, singlet oxygen quencher, enzyme inhibitor, synergist, and metal-chelating agents.
"While these findings go against the notion that processed fruits and vegetables have lower nutritional value, this may create a new image for processed fruits and vegetables," says Liu. "Ultimately, this could increase consumers' intake of fruits and vegetables and could possibly reduce a person's risk of chronic disease."
AVOID SUPPLEMENTS! Get as much nutrition from organic foods as possible. If you buy a supplement, choose one made from organic whole foods, NOT CHEMICALS!
TOMATO PESTICIDES: BEWARE!
THERE ARE MANY GREAT ORGANIC CHOICES! EVEN ONE OF THE SOPRANOS CAST GOT INTO THE ORGANIC BUSINESS!
REFERENCES:
http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/food.jsp?food=TO
http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2002/04/cooking-tomatoes-boosts-disease-fighting-power
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/301506.php
http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/food.jsp?food=TO
http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2002/04/cooking-tomatoes-boosts-disease-fighting-power
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/301506.php
RSS Feed
