Introduction: Lycopene is the red pigment in ripe tomatoes and, as an antioxidant, helps to fight certain cancers. In this lab you will isolate lycopene from tomato paste. To do this you will first extract carotenoid pigments from the paste and then use column chromatography to isolate the lycopene from the other pigments. You will then use TLC to evaluate the column chromatography separation. Note: because lycopene is light-sensitive, prevent any unnecessary exposure to light.