Lycopene is a carotenoid pigment and phytochemical found in tomatoes, water melon and other fruits mostly red coloured. Due to its structure, lycopene gives its deep red colour owing to its strong colour and non- toxic in nature. Lycopene is non-polar in nature due to which it stains any porous material including plastic. Lycopene diffuses into plastic, making it difficult to remove with hot water or detergent. Since lycopene is insoluble in water but can be dissolved in organic solvent and oil. Extracting lycopene from natural source like tomato and watermelon which contains the highest amount of lycopene leads to a non-toxic colouring agent which can be used in bioplastic colouring. The extracted lycopene proved to be a BioColour for bioplastic. Hence, lycopene proves to be a potent biocolour for the bioplastic colouring.

• Author: Vrinda Nair
• Pages: 80
• Binding: Paperback
• Size: 8.5 X 11
• Publishing Date: March 29, 2016
• Category: Environmental Sciences
• Language: English