Tomato

The structural classes of tomato polyphenols include flavonols, flavanones, flavones, and phenolic acids. Among the flavonols, we can find quercetin, caemferol and to a great extent the routine. Among the flavanones, we find naringenin and among the flavones, apigenin stands out. Among the phenolic acids, hydroxybenzoic acids such as gallic acid or protocateic acid and hydroxycinnamic acids such as 5-caffeoylquinic acid stand out. Among the most representative carotenoids of tomato, lycopene and β-carotene stand out.

Regular consumption of tomatoes and their products is associated with a lower risk of certain types of cancer and cardiovascular disease. There are various in vitro, animal and human studies that study the effects of tomato consumption or its derivatives on markers of this type of disease, attributing these beneficial effects to the bioactive compounds that the fruit contains.

Our research group has identified and quantified both the polyphenols and carotenoids present in tomato and tomato-derived products, and the metabolites generated after ingestion of these products in plasma and urine samples. Furthermore, the bioavailability of these compounds and their effect on cardiovascular health have been studied in various intervention studies in collaboration with the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona.