Lycopene from processed tomato products appears to be more bioavailable than that from raw Tomatoes. Bioavailability of lycopene is believed to be affected by:
Processing (cooking) undergone
Presence of dietary lipids
Heat-applied
The dosage and the presence of other carotenoids, such as ß-carotene
The bioavailability of lycopene is significantly higher when lycopene was ingested along with ß-carotene than when ingested alone"