Lycopene tomato nice and healthy
We all eat vegetables, because vegetables are healthy and they taste good. The 1,200 employees of Rijk Zwaan work to develop new vegetable varieties. We
are very successful in crossing plants with the desired characteristics in order to create new vegetable varieties. Varieties which grow better, produce more,
are even more resistant to diseases, more attractive, tastier and sometimes even healthier than they are already. One of the most popular vegetables in the
world is the tomato. That is not really surprising, as tomatoes are full of flavour as well as being healthy. The fruit is full of substances which have a positive
effect on the human body.

Flavour
The flavour of tomatoes is determined by a number of factors. Sweetness, for instance, is expressed in the sugar content (Brix). Apart from the various sugars,
acids, firmness and the moisture percentage in a tomato also play a significant part in determining its definitive flavour. These components are used in the
comparative table alongside.

Health
Tomatoes are rich in antioxidants; examples of these are vitamin C and lycopene. Vitamin C aids our natural resistance. Lycopene gives tomatoes their lovely red colour. Lycopene would also appear to protect our DNA and be effective against various types of cancer. In the last couple of years Rijk Zwaan has conducted research into the flavour and lycopene content of its tomato varieties. Here is a sample of that data. ðz
Crop guidance



These figures are averages and are based on a number of measurements taken
during 2007/2008. The average Brix and figures for flavour originate from research
by the PPO.The lycopene figures originate from RZ research




Seeds & Services Canada, september 2008


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