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• lycopene
  lycopene

  noun

  a red crystalline substance, C 40 H 56 , that is the main pigment of certain fruits, as the tomato and paprika, and is a precursor to carotene in plant biosynthesis.
• Lycopene
  Lycopene

  noun

  an acyclic carotenoid occuring in tomatoes and some other ripe fruit as a red pigment. As an antioxidant its consumption can reduce the risk of some cancers

lycopene

American  

[lahy-kuh-peen] / ˈlaɪ kəˌpin /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. a red crystalline substance, C 40 H 56 , that is the main pigment of certain fruits, as the tomato and paprika, and is a precursor to carotene in plant biosynthesis.

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Lycopene British  

/ ˈlaɪkəˌpiːn /

noun

1. an acyclic carotenoid occuring in tomatoes and some other ripe fruit as a red pigment. As an antioxidant its consumption can reduce the risk of some cancers

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lycopene Scientific  

/ lī′kə-pēn′ /

1. A red carotenoid found chiefly in blood, the reproductive organs, tomatoes, and palm oils. It is an antioxidant and is the parent substance from which all natural carotenoids are derived. Chemical formula: C ₄₀ H ₅₆ .

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Etymology

Origin of lycopene

1925–30; earlier lycop ( in ) (< New Latin Lycop ( ersicon ) tomato genus (< Greek lýk ( os ) wolf + -o- -o- + Persikón peach ¹ ) + -in ² ) + -ene

Example Sentences

Some metabolite changes appeared after consumption of both the tomato-soy juice and the control tomato juice, indicating that tomatoes may produce biological effects even without high levels of lycopene.

From Science Daily • May 30, 2026

"The hypothesis is that it's the lycopene from the tomatoes and the isoflavones from the soy that's inducing the effect, so we didn't want to have a control that's just water," Cooperstone said.

From Science Daily • May 30, 2026

However, they caution that the study design was cross-sectional, meaning it cannot prove that low lycopene intake directly causes gum disease.

From Science Daily • Feb. 10, 2026

There are many carotenoids including lutein, lycopene, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene.

From Salon • Sep. 27, 2023

You may have seen one of these polyphenols advertised on your ketchup bottle—one called lycopene.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan