Identification of Lycopene extracted from Papaya Using Thin Layer Chromatography and FT-IR Studies

Ms. Harini R & Dr. V. Judia Harriet Sumathy
Postgraduate & Research Department of Biotechnology, Women’s Christian College, Chennai – 600 006.

A B S T R A C T
Living tissues have a control mechanism to keep Reactive Oxygen spp, (ROS) in balance. When ROS are generated in vivo, many antioxidants come into play. Their relative importance depends upon which ROS are generated, how and where they are generated, and which target of damage is considered. Our body defends itself from these phenomena via endogenous antioxidants. However, when endogenous antioxidants become insufficient or imbalanced in defense against oxidants, exogenous antioxidants may help restore the balance. Researches show that lycopene can be a natural aid in this. It is absorbed more efficiently by the body after it has been processed into juice, sauce, paste, or ketchup. In fresh fruit, lycopene is enclosed in the fruit tissue. Therefore, only a portion of the lycopene that is present in fresh fruit is absorbed. Processing fruit makes the lycopene more bio-available by increasing the surface area available for digestion. More significantly, the chemical form of lycopene is altered by the temperature changes involved in processing to make it more easily absorbed by the body. Also, because lycopene is fat-soluble (as are vitamins, A, D, E, and beta-carotene), absorption into tissues is improved when oil is added to the diet. Although lycopene is available in supplement form, it is likely there is a synergistic effect when it is obtained from the whole fruit instead, where other components of the fruit enhance lycopene’s effectiveness. The present study is aimed at extracting and identifying Lycopene from Papaya using TLC and FTIR method.
Keywords: Lycopene, Papaya, Extraction, TLC and FT-IR