Advances in research on bioactivity, metabolism, stability and delivery systems of lycopene

Background: Lycopene is a natural pigment in plants belonging to lipophilic isoprenes and possesses diverse bioactivity against cardiovascular diseases, eye diseases, nerval degenerative disease and cancers. For these reasons, lycopene has been widely applied in the food and medical industries, and the applications of lycopene delivery systems have attracted widespread attention. Scope and approach: This review highlights the structure, bioactivity, digestive absorption, metabolism, transport, stability and influence factors of lycopene and its bioavailability in the human body. On this basis, the advances in research on lycopene delivery systems are highlighted, which provide some references for the wide application of lycopene into foods and medicine. Key findings and conclusions: The improvement of lycopene stability can promote its digestion and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and therefore it can play a healthy role. Constructing lycopene delivery systems (such as emulsion, nanostructured lipid carriers, hydrogel, liposomes) is an effective way to enhance its stability and bioavailability. However, the accuracy of the in vitro digestion model needs to be further verified by cell and animal experiments. There are still many challenges in the application of lycopene delivery systems for food commercialization.