Lycopene in tomato sauces and bone cell effects
What it found
In lab tests on human bone cells, lycopene extracted from a tomato sauce increased two proteins involved in bone formation.
The sauce with more lycopene had stronger effects than a regular commercial sauce.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Bone cell growth
Lycopene micelles did not change the number of bone cells after 24 hours, regardless of the dose or the sauce used.
Bone formation proteins
Micelles made from Osteocol lycopene increased the levels of β-catenin and ALP proteins in bone cells in a dose-dependent way. At 5 and 10 µM, ALP almost doubled compared to empty micelles.
Comparison with other sauce
The commercial sauce extract did not significantly raise ALP levels, and its effects on β-catenin were lower than Osteocol's at 5 and 10 µM.
Other findings
Best extraction solvent
Hexane extracted the most lycopene from the sauces, giving 17.35% w/w compared to 6.15% for a hexane/acetone mix, 5.25% for Me-THF, and 1.20% for DCM.
Lycopene in sauces
Osteocol contained 39.2 mg of lycopene per 100 g of sauce, while the best commercial sauce had 19.4 mg per 100 g. This difference was statistically significant.
What the authors conclude
“In conclusion, despite both techniques showing similar final results, UV/VIS spectrophotometer is preferable to HPLC due to its cheap, rapid, and accurate results, as well as for the opportunity to analyze lycopene-loaded micelles.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that UV/VIS spectrophotometry is as useful as HPLC for measuring lycopene and is cheaper and faster.
- They state that lycopene has a positive influence on osteoblast metabolism and differentiation.
- They suggest that Osteocol sauce is a functional supplement for preventing osteoporosis.
How it was done
The authors wanted to find a cheap, fast way to measure lycopene in tomato sauces and to see whether lycopene from different sauces affects bone cells.
They extracted lycopene from several tomato sauces using different solvents and measured it with two methods. They then wrapped the lycopene in tiny micelles and tested them on Saos-2 human bone cells for 24 hours.
What it can’t tell you
- These are lab tests on cells, not studies in people. They cannot show what happens when someone eats tomato sauce.
- The study did not measure how much lycopene from the sauce reaches bone in the body.
- The ideal daily amount of tomato products for bone benefits is still unknown.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- University "Magna Græcia" of Catanzaro, Italy; University of Gothenburg, Sweden; University "Magna Græcia", Italy
The paper
- Title
- A Rapid and Cheap Method for Extracting and Quantifying Lycopene Content in Tomato Sauces: Effects of Lycopene Micellar Delivery on Human Osteoblast-Like Cells
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Mare R, Maurotti S, Ferro Y, et al (2022). A Rapid and Cheap Method for Extracting and Quantifying Lycopene Content in Tomato Sauces: Effects of Lycopene Micellar Delivery on Human Osteoblast-Like Cells. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu14030717Free full textPubMed 35277076DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error