Lycopene belongs to the carotenoid family and is found in high concentrations in rose hips and tomatoes, whose scientific name, Solanum lycopersicum, gives the substance its name. Lycopene is a tetraterpene and has a red colour due to its polyene structure, which also lends tomatoes their distinctive colour.
Along with alpha- and beta-carotene, lycopene is one of the most important carotenoids, which fall under the category of secondary plant compounds. Besides tomatoes and rose hips, tomato paste and tomato juice contain particularly high amounts of lycopene. It is also found in apricots, peaches, mangoes, watermelons, berries, rose hips, pumpkins, citrus fruits and especially grapefruits.
