Lycopene
The tomato, the love apple, in Austria the Paradeiser, in Italy the pomodoro (golden apple) – engages the activated water scene more than any other fruit. For it belongs to a sales concept in which water ionizers are distributed, and if salt is added prior to the electrolytic process, can an alkaline, functional water be produced with a pH value above 11.
This is a chemical which emulsifies fat, makes fat soluble in water.
This water should not be drunk, for it is harmful to health, like a lye:
It can attack the membrane of our body cells which are made of fat layers.
As well as the tomato skin , which contains a very important antioxidant active substance and makes the tomato turn red:
The fat soluble carotenoid lycopene.
It releases itself from the tomato skin in high alkaline water and stains the water a reddish yellow colour.
The sales people of these devices claim falsely that the dissolved plant protection products (pesticides) and other harmful substances can be recognized by this colouring in the water and this alkaline function water is claimed to be ideal for rinsing fruit and vegetables.
In reality, the best from the tomato is removed! The main active substance, lycopene, one of the few boil proof antioxidants. (So tinned tomatoes, tomato paste and even ketchup are very valuable). At the same time a conventionally cultivated apple was also immersed into the functional water which did not cause any “harmful” colouring. Respectively, the tomato on the right hand side came from an uncontaminated, controlled, organic farm.
Yet the same amount of red colouring was released from it. There really are no contaminants! Nevertheless, after 12 hours in functional water the organic tomato showed a much better ORP value!
Better tomatoes with activated water
As it is known, there are super tomatoes and supermarket tomatoes. The first taste better and are much more expensive, the second are varieties that are bred as eye candy for the consumer.
The nice tomatoes from greenhouses from the supply industry for the discounters are always available, the good ones only at certain times of the year.
Only tinned tomatoes have the same quality all year round because they are made from fully ripe fruits whose visual appearance plays no role.
We are easily able to give a more measurable food quality to tomatoes in the form of a negative ORP by laying them in alkaline activated water and allowing a transfer of hydrogen to take place. In order to protect the sensitive lycopene should this water not surpass a pH of 10,5.
Within 30 minutes ORP values up to (-) 383 mV (CSE) are achievable. It works best with halved tomatoes. The pH value of a tomato is not affected and its taste and acidity is maintained. Also a noodle sauce made with activated tomatoes stands out because of its negative redox potential.
The lycopene content of a raw tomato per 100 g lies at ca. 9 mg, tomato juice has 11, with tomato puree and ketchup 17, with Tomatenmark tomato paste 55,5 mg/100 g.
Of course no one will eat 100 g of tomato paste. Rather, eat a pound of tomatoes and you will have almost the same amount of lycopene.
Better tomato juice
Already seasoned and salted tomato juices are favourable because of low ORP measurements in the positive millivolt range. The organic juice is slightly less acidic and has a considerably good redox potential. Both juices have an excellent taste, which could also be because of the seasoning.
To compare the taste with a “freshly” homemade tomato puree from the discounter would be unfair since the puree can always be seasoned. The ORP results (CSE) from our tests with a blender can be seen from left to right:
+ 72 mV: vine tomatoes; + 82 mV: organic vine tomatoes and + 62 mV: Costolutto (4 x more expensive). A tight win.
None of the tests showed any dissolved hydrogen. On the other hand, the 3 times concentrated tomato paste “Oro di Parma” does overtrump these results with its 680 microgram/l of hydrogen content and an ORP of (-) 352 mV. Yet when diluted with water it does taste a bit “metallic”.
The best flavourful and electro-chemical end results after diluting 1 : 1 with alkaline activated water pH 9,5, ORP (-) 620 mV (CSE) were from the organic tomato puree from a discounter. Before diluting, this puree contained already 613 micrograms/l dH2. After diluting, it contained 708 micrograms/l. The ORP sank to (-) 104 mV.
After seasoning it was a very tasty outcome. So this is the best way to drink tomato juice.
Excerpt from the book “Karl Heinz Asenbaum: Electrically activated water – An invention with extraordinary potential.”
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