The biosynthesis of lycopene in tomato homogenates.

It has been demonstrated that radioactive lycopene results from the addition of labeled acetate to intact, green, ripening tomatoes (1, 2). In order to study more closely the metabolic pathway involved in the formation of this carotenoid, attempts to prepare a cell-free system which could synthesize lycopene were carried out. Labeled mevalonic acid could serve as a source of lycopene carbon in tomato homogenates, but acetate and a number of other low molecular weight substances gave negative results. The preparation of tomato homogenates, the cofactor requirements, and other conditions for lycopene biosynthesis are described in this paper.