Novel lycopene metabolites are detectable in plasma of preruminant calves after lycopene supplementation.

Appropriate animal models such as preruminant calves are necessary to study the complex physiological functions of carotenoids and to relate them to possible health effects in humans. In this study, the bioavailability and metabolism of lycopene from 2 dietary supplements were compared. LycoVit containing synthetic lycopene and Lyc-O-Mato containing natural tomato oleoresin were administered to 2 groups of preruminant calves (each n = 8) for 14 d in daily doses of 15 mg of lycopene. Plasma was analyzed for carotenoids before the intervention period, directly after, and each day for 5 d after the end of the intervention. All-trans and 5-cis lycopene, and 3 lycopene metabolites not previously found in calf plasma were detected. These metabolites contributed 52% of the total lycopene content measured at the end of the intervention period. Based on spectroscopic data, they might be hydrogenation products, which are formed from all-trans and/or 5-cis lycopene. In the LycoVit group, total lycopene concentrations were approximately 300% higher (286 +/- 89 nmol/L) than in the Lyc-O-Mato group (72 +/- 33 nmol/L) (P < 0.001). This indicates that, unlike in humans, lycopene from LycoVit and Lyc-O-Mato does not have equal bioavailabilities in preruminant calves. Therefore, the preruminant calf may not be a suitable animal model with which to study the biological and physiological effects of lycopene.