**3. Product preparation**

#### **3.1 Saturated predominantly long-chain fatty acids—dairy butter**

546 mg of lycopene (Lyc-O-Mato, LycoRed) was blended into molten 2340 g of unsalted dairy butter (President, France) at 45°C. The blend was stirred thoroughly for 10 min to ensure an even mixture, which was afterwards dispensed into 30 g individual moulds/containers by pouring. Each 30-g butter sample contained 7-mg lycopene. Storage in sealed containers was at –20°C up to 3 months and at +4–8°C for no more than 1 month.

#### **3.2 Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids—vegetable oils**

70 mg of lycopene was blended into a 50 mL volume of olive oil (Extra Virgin, Napolitana) or sunflower oil (Flora). Once dispersed, carotenoid oil samples were stored at the ambient temperature of 20–21°C away from light.

#### **3.3 Lycopene supplement formulation for clinical trial**

Preparation of highly bioavailable GA lycopene was described in our earlier publication [5].
