Question

Red color of tomato is due to
A.Lycopene
B.Phytochrome
C.Chromatic Chrome
D.Anthocyanin

Answer 1

Hint: Tomato which is also known as Solanum Lycopersicum is an edible fruit that belongs to the family Solanaceae of the kingdom Plantae.

Complete answer:
There are a large number of pigments that are responsible for different colors like red, green, yellow, etc in fruits and vegetables, and depending upon their absorption spectrum they show a particular color.
Lycopene is a pigment that gives the tomato a bright red color, and the lycopene pigment belongs to the carotenoids group, and when the chemical structure of lycopene is observed it is seen that it is a tetraterpene. The absorption wavelength of the lycopene pigment is very high, due to which the visible color of a tomato is red.

Option A: Lycopene is a carotenoid that is responsible for the red color of the tomato Therefore, this is the correct option.

Option B: Phytochrome is responsible for the blue color of fruits and vegetables. Therefore, this is the incorrect option.

OptionC: Chromatic Chrome pigment is not found in plants. Therefore, this is the incorrect option.

Option D: Anthocyanin gives purple/black color to plants. Therefore, this is the incorrect option.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A)

Note: Although lycopene is not toxic and can be eaten as it is already present in so many fruits and vegetables, the safer concentration of lycopene that should be consumed in a day is only 75 milligrams. If consumed more than 75 milligrams, it won't cause toxicity but it can cause certain digestive problems. It is not necessary that only red fruit and vegetables can have lycopene pigment, guava is green in color, it still has the lycopene pigment.