Functional food composition, functional food, and method for producing functional food composition

Abstract

To provide a composition useful as a functional food.SOLUTION: A composition for a functional food includes cis-lycopene.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a composition for functional foods and a functional food. [Background technology]

[0002] Carotenoids, which are widely present in nature, have strong antioxidant properties and a wide variety of colors, so they are used in a wide range of applications, including health foods, cosmetics, food coloring, etc. Among carotenoids, lycopene, the red pigment found in tomatoes and watermelons, has been attracting attention in recent years because it exhibits particularly strong antioxidant properties.

[0003] In general, natural lycopene exists as an all-trans form in which all double bonds are trans-isomers. In recent years, there have been reports on the evaluation of oral intake of all-trans-lycopene and cis-lycopene (e.g., Non-Patent Documents 1 to 3).

[0004] Non-Patent Document 1 reports that when red tomato juice, which has a cis-lycopene ratio of 10%, and tangerine tomato juice, which has a cis-lycopene ratio of 94%, were administered to humans, the results showed that the blood lycopene concentration was 8.5 times higher when tangerine tomato juice was consumed than when red tomato juice was consumed.

[0005] Non-patent document 2 reports that when humans were administered low-temperature heated tomato sauce with a 5% cis-lycopene ratio and high-temperature heated tomato sauce with a 45% cis-lycopene ratio, the blood lycopene concentration was higher when the high-temperature heated tomato sauce was ingested than when the low-temperature heated tomato sauce was ingested.

[0006] Non-patent document 3 reports that when mice were administered lycopene with a cis-lycopene ratio of 3% or less and lycopene with a cis-lycopene ratio of 97.5%, the lycopene concentration in the liver was higher when mice ingested lycopene with a cis-lycopene ratio of 97.5% compared to lycopene with a cis-lycopene ratio of 3% or less. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0007] [Non-Patent Document 1] Enhanced bioavailability of lycopene when consumed as cis-isomers from tangerine compared to red tomato juice, a randomized, cross-over clinical trial. Mol. Nutr. Food Res., 59, 658-669, 2015. [Non-Patent Document 2] Lycopene from heat-induced cis-isomer-rich tomato sauce is more bioavailable than from all-trans-rich tomato sauce in human subjects. Br. J. Nutr., 98, 140-146, 2007. [Non-Patent Document 3] Z-Isomers of lycopene exhibit greater liver accumulation than the all-E-isomer in mice. Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem., 84, 428-431, 2020. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, the reports in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 concern the transfer of lycopene into the blood after oral ingestion. The report in Non-Patent Document 3 only evaluates the accumulation of lycopene in the liver of mice. In other words, the accumulation of lycopene in the lungs, prostate, testes, skin, kidneys, and adrenal glands has not been evaluated.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned situation, and aims to provide a functional food composition containing lycopene, which has excellent accumulation properties in the lungs, prostate, testes, skin, kidneys, and adrenal glands and is useful as a functional food, and a functional food containing such a composition. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The functional food composition of the present invention contains cis-lycopene.

[0011] This functional food composition is excellent in lycopene accumulation in the lungs, prostate, testes, skin, kidneys, and adrenal glands when the functional food is orally ingested.

[0012] The functional food of the present invention comprises the above-mentioned composition.

[0013] This functional food is excellent in lycopene accumulation in the lungs, prostate, testes, skin, kidneys, and adrenal glands when orally ingested.

[0014] Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a functional food composition containing lycopene, which is useful as a functional food, and a functional food containing such a composition. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] (a) is a diagram showing the structure of all-trans-lycopene, (b) is a diagram showing the structure of 13-cis-lycopene, (c) is a diagram showing the structure of 9-cis-lycopene, and (d) is a diagram showing the structure of 5-cis-lycopene. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 shows the amount of lycopene accumulated in plasma and the isomer ratio (after 14 days). [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 shows the amount of lycopene accumulated in the lungs and the isomer ratio (after 14 days). [Figure 4] FIG. 1 shows the amount of lycopene accumulated in the prostate and the isomer ratio (after 14 days). [Diagram 5]FIG. 1 shows the amount of lycopene accumulated in the testis and the isomer ratio (after 14 days). [Figure 6] FIG. 1 shows the amount of lycopene accumulated in the skin and the isomer ratio (after 14 days). [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram showing the ultraviolet absorption spectra of cis-lycopene and trans-lycopene, in which the UV-A region is from 320 nm to 400 nm and the UV-B region is from 280 nm to 315 nm. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 shows the amount of lycopene accumulated in the kidney and the isomer ratio (after 14 days). [Figure 9] FIG. 1 shows the amount of lycopene accumulated in the adrenal gland and the isomer ratio (after 14 days). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The composition preferably contains 30% or more of cis-lycopene when the total mass of the lycopene contained in the composition is taken as 100%. This configuration ensures sufficient accumulation of lycopene in the lungs, prostate, testes, skin, kidneys, and adrenal glands.

[0017] In the above composition, it is preferable that the amount of lycopene accumulated in the target tissue of the group administered with the following cis-lycopene is at least twice as much as the amount of lycopene accumulated in the target tissue of the group administered with the following trans-lycopene. <Trans-lycopene administration group> Rats were orally administered a composition containing a specified amount of lycopene, with cis-lycopene at 5% or less when the total mass of the lycopene contained is taken as 100%, 14 days after the composition was administered. <Cis-lycopene administration group> Rats were orally administered a composition containing the same amount of lycopene as the composition used in the trans-lycopene group, and containing 30% or more of cis-lycopene when the total mass of lycopene contained was taken as 100%, 14 days after administration.

[0018] In the above composition, it is preferable that cis-lycopene accounts for 55% or more of the total mass of lycopene accumulated in the target tissue, taking it as 100%. Cis-lycopene is said to have a stronger antioxidant effect than trans-lycopene, and the above composition is expected to prevent and improve diseases in the target tissue. In addition, cis-lycopene has a higher UV-A absorption ability than trans-lycopene, so it is expected to have a sunscreen effect when the target tissue is the skin.

[0019] The target tissue may be at least one selected from the group consisting of lung, prostate, testis, skin, kidney, and adrenal gland. The composition may be used for preventing or improving prostate disease. The composition may be used for preventing or improving male infertility. The composition may be used for preventing or improving kidney disease. The composition may be used for sunscreen or skin whitening. These configurations are useful for preventing and improving diseases in the lung, prostate, testis, kidney, or adrenal gland, or for improving skin beauty.

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. In this specification, when a numerical range is described using "to", the range includes the lower limit and the upper limit unless otherwise specified. For example, the description "10 to 20" includes both the lower limit "10" and the upper limit "20". In other words, "10 to 20" has the same meaning as "10 or more and 20 or less".

[0021] The functional food composition of the present invention contains cis-lycopene. It is known that the pharmacokinetics of lycopene in animals varies depending on the isomer. In this study, lycopene with different isomer ratios was administered to mammals, and the results of evaluating the body's absorbability and accumulation showed that cis-lycopene accumulates significantly more in the lungs, prostate, testes, skin, kidneys, and adrenal glands than trans-lycopene. The efficacy of lycopene has been attracting particular attention for its prostate cancer prevention, male infertility prevention, nephropathy improvement, and skin beautifying effects, and it was found that cis-lycopene accumulates more in the areas related to these.

[0022] Lycopene has the chemical formula C 40 H 56 (molecular weight 536.87). As shown in FIG. 1, lycopene has 11 conjugated double bonds, and therefore there are various cis isomers. In this application, an isomer in which at least one of the 11 conjugated double bonds of lycopene is a cis-type isomer is referred to as cis-lycopene, and an isomer in which all of the 11 conjugated double bonds are trans-type is referred to as all-trans-lycopene. When simply referring to "lycopene," both cis-lycopene and all-trans-lycopene are included. In this application, the carbon skeleton arrangement in the trans-type is represented as E, and the cis-type is represented as Z, and the positions are represented by numbers. For example, the structural formula (a) shown in FIG. 1 represents (all-E)-lycopene (all double bonds are trans-type). In the structural formula shown in Figure 1, (b) represents (13Z)-lycopene (the carbon at the 13th position is cis-type, 13cis-type), (c) represents (9Z)-lycopene (the carbon at the 9th position is cis-type, 9cis-type), and (d) represents (5Z)-lycopene (the carbon at the 5th position is cis-type, 5cis-type).

[0023] The composition of the present invention preferably contains cis-lycopene in an amount of 30% or more based on the mass (100%) of lycopene in the composition. From the viewpoint of improving the amount of lycopene accumulated in the target tissue, the above content of cis-lycopene is more preferably 40% or more, even more preferably 50% or more, even more preferably 60% or more, even more preferably 70% or more, even more preferably 75% or more. From the viewpoint of manufacturability, the above content of cis-lycopene is preferably 98% or less, more preferably 95% or less, even more preferably 90% or less, even more preferably 85% or less, even more preferably 80% or less. The lower limit and upper limit of the above content of cis-lycopene can be arbitrarily combined. For example, the above content of cis-lycopene is preferably 20% or more and 98% or less. The remainder of the content of cis-lycopene in the total lycopene of the composition is the content of trans-lycopene. Hereinafter, the cis-lycopene content based on the mass of lycopene (100%) will be referred to simply as "cis-lycopene content."

[0024] The composition of the present invention may contain any component other than lycopene. The content of the optional component is preferably 99% by mass or less, more preferably 5% by mass or less, and even more preferably 85% by mass or less, when the entire composition is taken as 100% by mass. In addition, when a purified lycopene product is used as the composition, the content of cis-lycopene when the entire composition is taken as 100% by mass may be the same as the cis-lycopene content based on the mass (100%) of lycopene in the composition described above. In other words, the lower limit and upper limit of cis-lycopene when the entire composition is taken as 100% by mass can be the same as the above-mentioned cis-lycopene content.

[0025] The composition of the present invention may be a commercially available product or may be produced by a conventional chemical synthesis method. It may also be produced by mixing chemically synthesized or naturally derived lycopene within the above composition range. When the composition is to be ingested by humans, it is more preferable that the lycopene is naturally derived from the viewpoint of safety.

[0026] Examples of the natural products include fruits such as tomatoes, gac, guava, rose hips, watermelon, and pink grapefruit, and fungi and algae containing lycopene, and tomatoes can be preferably used. However, lycopene derived from natural products generally does not have a sufficient cis-lycopene content (for example, 10% by mass or less). When the lycopene contained in the composition is derived from a natural product, a treatment for increasing the cis-lycopene content may be performed. For example, a heat treatment can be exemplified as a simple method for increasing the cis-lycopene content. The treatment for increasing the cis-lycopene content is not limited to heat treatment, and may be a light irradiation treatment or a treatment using a predetermined catalyst that promotes the cis-isomerization reaction of lycopene. Furthermore, examples of a method for highly increasing the cis-lycopene content include a separation method that utilizes the difference in solubility between trans-lycopene and cis-lycopene. According to such a method, a composition in which cis-lycopene is highly concentrated, in which the content of cis-lycopene in the composition is 75% or more, can be obtained.

[0027] In addition, the composition of the present invention is preferably an extract extracted with ethanol. Cis-lycopene has a higher solubility in ethanol than all-trans-lycopene. By extracting cis-lycopene with ethanol, a composition containing a larger amount of cis-lycopene can be obtained using a solvent that is highly safe for the human body. In the composition of the present invention, the lycopene content and whether or not lycopene is in cis form can be confirmed by, for example, HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography).

[0028] The composition of the present invention can be made into a food composition by adding or enclosing it in any form such as tablets, capsules, granules, powders, tablets, jellies, gummies, chewing gum, drinks, PET bottles, or by adding it to any food or drink. In the present invention, the "food composition" includes not only solid compositions but also liquid compositions for drinking.

[0029] The type of food composition is not particularly limited. The food composition may be contained in foods or beverages such as, for example, confectioneries (jelly, yogurt, pudding, biscuits and cookies, chocolate, candy, cake, ice cream, chewing gum), retort foods, soups, juices, teas, jelly drinks, powdered drinks, dairy products, etc.

[0030] In addition, the food composition may be one in which cis-lycopene is dissolved or dispersed in vegetable oil from the viewpoints of processability, storage stability, etc. The vegetable oil is preferably one that is liquid at room temperature. The vegetable oil is preferably at least one selected from soybean oil, corn oil, sesame oil, mustard oil, olive oil, and sunflower oil. The total lycopene concentration in this food composition is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.1 mg / mL to 100 mg / mL, more preferably 1 mg / mL to 50 mg / mL, and even more preferably 5 mg / mL to 20 mg / mL. This food composition can also be used as a coloring agent for various foods such as tomato soup, tomato sauce, and dressing.

[0031] The composition of the present invention can be used as a functional food (including health food and supplements) in the form of the above-mentioned food or beverage. The amount of cis-lycopene contained in a functional food varies depending on the type of food, but from the viewpoint of not impairing the taste of the food and achieving sufficient accumulation in the body, it is preferably 0.01% to 10%, and more preferably 0.1% to 5%, when the total mass of the functional food is taken as 100%.

[0032] Furthermore, sweeteners, seasonings, emulsifiers, suspending agents, preservatives and the like can be added to the composition of the present invention, if necessary. The dosage of the composition of the present invention can be appropriately changed depending on factors such as the age, weight, sex, and condition of the person who takes it. For example, the daily intake of the composition of the present invention is 0.001 mg to 100 mg, preferably 0.005 mg to 70 mg, more preferably 0.01 mg to 50 mg, and even more preferably 0.1 mg to 20 mg, per adult weighing 60 kg, calculated as cis-lycopene, but is not limited to this range. If necessary, the above intake amount can be taken once or several times a day, for example, divided into 2 to 3 times.

[0033] The composition of the present invention exhibits high accumulation in target tissues such as the lungs, prostate, testes, skin, kidneys, and adrenal glands, and in particular, exhibits particularly high accumulation in the prostate, kidneys, and adrenal glands. In the above composition, the amount of lycopene accumulated in the target tissue of the cis-lycopene administration group described below is preferably at least twice as much as the amount of lycopene accumulated in the target tissue of the trans-lycopene administration group described below. If the lycopene concentration (nmol / g) in the target tissue of the trans-lycopene administration group is A and the lycopene concentration (nmol / g) in the target tissue of the cis-lycopene administration group is B, the amount of lycopene accumulated in the target tissue of the cis-lycopene administration group relative to the amount of lycopene accumulated in the target tissue of the trans-lycopene administration group can be calculated as B / A. B / A is preferably 2 or more, more preferably 3 or more, and even more preferably 4 or more, 5 or more, 6 or more, 8 or more, 10 or more, 12 or more, or 14 or more. The upper limit of B / A is not particularly limited. The upper limit of B / A is usually 50 or less, and is not specified when the lycopene concentration (nmol / g) in the target tissue of the trans-lycopene administration group is below the detection limit.

[0034] The composition preferably contains cis-lycopene at 55% or more when the total mass of lycopene accumulated in the target tissue is taken as 100% in rats 14 days after the start of oral intake. The ratio of cis-lycopene when the total amount of lycopene accumulated in the target tissue is taken as 100% is also referred to as the "total cis-lycopene ratio in the target tissue". The total cis-lycopene ratio in the target tissue is more preferably 59% or more, and even more preferably 70% or more, 75% or more, or 80% or more. The upper limit of the total cis-lycopene ratio in these target tissues is not particularly limited and may be 100%.

[0035] Therefore, the composition of the present invention is useful for preventing or improving diseases in the above target tissues. For example, the literature "J. Agric. Food Chem., 50(1), 221-226, 2002" shows that cis-lycopene has a higher Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) than all-trans-lycopene. The literature "J. Funct. Foods, 1, 88-97, 2009" shows that cis-type fucoxanthin, a type of carotenoid, has a better anti-proliferative effect on prostate cancer cells than all-trans-type. In addition, when the target tissue is the skin, the composition of the present invention is useful from the viewpoint of skin beauty. For example, as shown in Figure 7, cis-lycopene has a higher effect of absorbing ultraviolet light in the UV-A region (wavelength: 320 nm to 400 nm) than all-trans-lycopene.

[0036] For example, the compositions of the present invention can be used in the following tissues: Blood: Arteriosclerosis, improving blood flow, etc. Kidneys: Prevention or improvement of nephropathy, etc. Adrenal glands: Prevention or improvement of adrenal fatigue, etc. Lungs: Prevention or improvement of emphysema, etc. Prostate: Prevention or improvement of prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia, etc. Testicles: Prevention or improvement of male infertility, improvement of sperm count, etc. Skin: sunscreen, whitening, wrinkle prevention or improvement, etc. EXAMPLES

[0037] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, although the scope of the present invention is not limited to these examples. [Production Example] The cis-lycopene-containing composition used in the examples was produced by the following method. First, trans-lycopene with a concentration of 97.0% or more was obtained from tomato oleoresin (LycoRed, Lyc-O-Mato (registered trademark) 15%) by the method described in the literature "Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 81(2), 365-371, 2017". The obtained trans-lycopene was dissolved in dichloromethane at a concentration of 1 mg / mL and heat-treated at 80 ° C for 2 hours. The obtained lycopene solution was evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure, and the residue was suspended in 100 mL of ethanol kept at 4 ° C for 1 hour. Then, insoluble substances (mainly (all-E)-lycopene) in the obtained ethanol solution were removed using a 0.22 μm polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane filter. Next, ethanol was removed under reduced pressure to obtain cis-lycopene. The content of cis-lycopene was 94.8% or more.

[0038] The produced cis-lycopene was suspended in soybean oil to obtain a cis-lycopene composition (concentration: 10 mg / mL), which was then frozen and stored in the dark (-60°C) until use. Hereinafter, the cis-lycopene composition is simply referred to as "cis-lycopene". The trans-lycopene composition (concentration 10 mg / mL, simply referred to as "trans-lycopene") was obtained by suspending trans-lycopene obtained in accordance with the method described in the above-mentioned literature "Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 81(2), 365-371, 2017" in soybean oil.

[0039] [method] Rats (SD rats, male, 7 weeks old, n=5) were orally administered trans-lycopene (cis-lycopene content: 5% or less) or cis-lycopene (cis-lycopene content: 94.8%) at a dose of 10 mg / kg body weight / day for 14 consecutive days. After the final administration, various tissues (blood, lung, prostate, testis, skin, kidney, and adrenal gland) were collected and the amount of lycopene accumulated in each tissue was analyzed.

[0040] [Measurement results] FIG. 2 shows the accumulation of lycopene in plasma and its isomer ratio (after 14 days). The plasma lycopene concentration in the cis-lycopene-administered group was 0.0193±0.0054nmol / g. The plasma lycopene concentration in the trans-lycopene-administered group was 0.0031±0.0008nmol / g. The plasma lycopene concentration in the cis-lycopene-administered group was 6.18 times that of the trans-lycopene-administered group. The cis-lycopene-administered group was shown to accumulate high concentrations of lycopene in plasma. The lycopene concentration is expressed as the mean value ± standard deviation. In each graph, the error bar represents the standard deviation. For comparison between two groups, statistical analysis was performed using Student's t-test. A value of p<0.01 was considered statistically significant and was marked with "**". In the present example, the same notation is used hereinafter.

[0041] The ratios of each lycopene isomer in plasma from the cis-lycopene-administered group and the trans-lycopene-administered group are shown in Table 1. In the cis-lycopene-administered group, the total cis-isomer ratio was 78.4±4.1%.

[0042] [Table 1]

[0043] In Table 1, "Diet" indicates the type of lycopene (LYC) administered, with "(all-E)-LYC" being trans-lycopene and "(Z)-LYC" being cis-lycopene. Of the isomers, "(all-E)" indicates the trans type, "5Z" indicates the 5 cis type, "9Z" indicates the 9 cis type, and "13Z" indicates the 13 cis type. "Other Z" indicates other cis types other than 5Z, 9Z, and 13Z. The same notation is used hereinafter in this example.

[0044] FIG. 3 shows the amount of lycopene accumulated in the lungs and the isomer ratio (after 14 days). The lung lycopene concentration in the cis-lycopene-administered group was 0.0622±0.0194nmol / g. The lung lycopene concentration in the trans-lycopene-administered group was 0.0135±0.0059nmol / g. The lung lycopene concentration in the cis-lycopene-administered group was 4.62 times that of the trans-lycopene-administered group. This indicates that the cis-lycopene-administered group accumulated high concentrations of lycopene in the lungs. The ratios of each lycopene isomer in the lungs of the cis-lycopene-administered group and the trans-lycopene-administered group are shown in Table 2. In the cis-lycopene-administered group, the total cis ratio was 56.7±7.7%.

[0045] [Table 2]

[0046] FIG. 4 shows the amount of lycopene accumulated in the prostate and the isomer ratio (after 14 days). The prostate lycopene concentration in the cis-lycopene-treated group was 0.0323±0.0105nmol / g. The prostate lycopene concentration in the trans-lycopene-treated group was 0.0053±0.0019nmol / g. The prostate lycopene concentration in the cis-lycopene-treated group was 6.07 times that of the trans-lycopene-treated group. This indicates that the cis-lycopene-treated group accumulates high concentrations of lycopene in the prostate. The ratios of each lycopene isomer in the prostate of the cis-lycopene-administered group and the trans-lycopene-administered group are shown in Table 3. In the cis-lycopene-administered group, the total cis ratio was 75.9±2.1%.

[0047] [Table 3]

[0048] FIG. 5 shows the amount of lycopene accumulated in the testes and the isomer ratio (after 14 days). The testicular lycopene concentration in the cis-lycopene-administered group was 0.0385±0.0136nmol / g. The testicular lycopene concentration in the trans-lycopene-administered group was 0.0128±0.0010nmol / g. The testicular lycopene concentration in the cis-lycopene-administered group was 3.01 times that of the trans-lycopene-administered group. The cis-lycopene-administered group showed a high accumulation of lycopene in the testes. The ratios of each lycopene isomer in the testes of the cis-lycopene-administered group and the trans-lycopene-administered group are shown in Table 4. In the cis-lycopene-administered group, the total cis ratio was 59.6±4.8%.

[0049] [Table 4]

[0050] FIG. 6 shows the amount of lycopene accumulated in the skin and the isomer ratio (after 14 days). The skin lycopene concentration in the cis-lycopene-administered group was 0.0174±0.0045nmol / g. The skin lycopene concentration in the trans-lycopene-administered group was 0.0068±0.0013nmol / g. The skin lycopene concentration in the cis-lycopene-administered group was 2.56 times that of the trans-lycopene-administered group. This indicates that the cis-lycopene-administered group accumulated high concentrations of lycopene in the skin. The ratios of each lycopene isomer in the skin of the cis-lycopene-administered group and the trans-lycopene-administered group are shown in Table 5. In the cis-lycopene-administered group, the total cis ratio was 70.5±4.7%.

[0051] [Table 5]

[0052] In addition, the absorption spectra of cis-lycopene and trans-lycopene in the visible and ultraviolet regions (300-600 nm) were measured using an HPLC (Prominence, Shimadzu Corporation) equipped with a photodiode array detector.

[0053] The results are shown in Figure 7. In Figure 7, the left panel shows the absorption spectrum of trans-lycopene, and the right panel shows the absorption spectrum of cis-lycopene. As shown in the right panel of Figure 7, the absorption wavelength specific to the cis-type was observed for UV-A (wavelength: 320 nm to 400 nm). This result indicates that the composition of the present invention is useful as a sunscreen (so-called "drinkable sunscreen").

[0054] FIG. 8 shows the amount of lycopene accumulated in the kidney and the isomer ratio (after 14 days). The kidney lycopene concentration in the cis-lycopene-administered group was 0.0403±0.0121nmol / g. The kidney lycopene concentration in the trans-lycopene-administered group was 0.0075±0.0009nmol / g. The kidney lycopene concentration in the cis-lycopene-administered group was 5.36 times that of the trans-lycopene-administered group. This indicates that the cis-lycopene-administered group accumulated high concentrations of lycopene in the kidney. The ratios of each lycopene isomer in the kidneys of the cis-lycopene-administered group and the trans-lycopene-administered group are shown in Table 6. In the cis-lycopene-administered group, the total cis ratio was 70.6±4.8%.

[0055] [Table 6]

[0056] FIG. 9 shows the amount of lycopene accumulated in the adrenal gland and the isomer ratio (after 14 days). The adrenal lycopene concentration in the cis-lycopene-administered group was 1.1204±0.3025nmol / g. The adrenal lycopene concentration in the trans-lycopene-administered group was 0.0800±0.0297nmol / g. The adrenal lycopene concentration in the cis-lycopene-administered group was 14.01 times that of the trans-lycopene-administered group. This indicates that the cis-lycopene-administered group accumulated high concentrations of lycopene in the adrenal glands. The ratios of each lycopene isomer in the adrenal glands of the cis-lycopene-administered group and the trans-lycopene-administered group are shown in Table 7. In the cis-lycopene-administered group, the total cis ratio was 84.3±1.0%.

[0057] [Table 7]

[0058] [summary] Lycopene accumulation in the body was higher in the cis-lycopene group than in the trans-lycopene group. Specifically, accumulation was predominant in the lungs, prostate, testes, skin, kidneys, and adrenal glands (more than twice as much as in the trans-lycopene group), and especially in the lungs, prostate, kidneys, and adrenal glands (more than 5.3 times as much as in the trans-lycopene group). The total cis-lycopene ratio in the lungs, prostate, testes, skin, kidneys, and adrenal glands was 55% or more. Cis-lycopene accumulates in the lungs, prostate, testes, skin, kidneys, and adrenal glands, exerting an antioxidant effect, and also exerting an effect of absorbing ultraviolet light in the UV-A region in the skin.

[0059] Lycopene is known to have prostate cancer prevention, male infertility prevention, nephropathy improvement, skin beautifying effects, etc. In the present invention, it was shown that cis-lycopene is highly accumulated in the prostate, testes, kidneys, and skin, and therefore the composition of the present invention is useful for preventing or improving prostate diseases (e.g., prostate cancer), male infertility, and kidney diseases, and is useful as a sunscreen or skin whitening agent.

Claims

1. A functional food composition containing cis-lycopene, The cis-lycopene includes cis-lycopene obtained by subjecting trans-lycopene to heat treatment or light irradiation treatment without using iron (III) chloride, The functional food composition contains 30% or more of the cis-lycopene when the total mass of the lycopene contained in the functional food composition is taken as 100%, A functional food composition used for at least one of the prevention or amelioration of lung diseases, prevention or amelioration of prostate diseases, prevention or amelioration of testicular diseases, prevention or amelioration of kidney diseases, prevention or amelioration of adrenal diseases, sun protection for the skin, skin whitening, and prevention or amelioration of skin wrinkles (excluding those containing lycopene derived from tangerine tomatoes).

2. 2. The functional food composition according to claim 1, which is obtained by dissolving or dispersing the cis-lycopene in vegetable oil.

3. 3. The functional food composition according to claim 1 or 2, which is used for preventing or improving prostate diseases.

4. The functional food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is used for preventing or improving male infertility.

5. The functional food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is used for preventing or improving kidney diseases.

6. The functional food composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is used for sunscreen or whitening of the skin.

7. A functional food comprising a composition according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A method for producing a functional food composition containing cis-lycopene (excluding those containing lycopene derived from tangerine tomatoes), comprising the steps of: The functional food composition comprises: The functional food composition contains 30% or more of the cis-lycopene when the total mass of the lycopene contained in the functional food composition is taken as 100%, The composition is used for at least one of the following: prevention or amelioration of lung diseases, prevention or amelioration of prostate diseases, prevention or amelioration of testicular diseases, prevention or amelioration of kidney diseases, prevention or amelioration of adrenal diseases, sun protection for the skin, skin whitening, and prevention or amelioration of wrinkles in the skin; A method for producing a functional food composition comprising subjecting trans-lycopene to a heat treatment or light irradiation treatment without using iron (III) chloride to obtain the cis-lycopene.

9. A method for producing the functional food composition according to claim 8, comprising the steps of: A method for producing a functional food composition, comprising obtaining the cis-lycopene as an extract extracted with ethanol.

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