Development of a method for the quantitative estimation of provitamin A carotenoids in some fruits.
Philip T., Chen T. S.
Author Affiliation: Department of Home Economics, California State University, Northridge, CA 91330, USA.
Journal of Food Science 53 : 1703-1706
Abstract : The provitamin A carotenoids were separated by column chromatography on alumina prior to further separation and quantitative analysis by reversed phase liquid chromatography. Among the provitamin-A-rich fruits, apricots, mangoes and cantaloup melons contained mainly ?-carotene, whereas cryptoxanthin accounted for nearly half the total carotenoid in pawpaws, persimmons and tangerines. Peaches, red capsicums, oranges and red grapefruits were intermediate in their provitamin A content, while tomatoes, yellow capsicums, pineapples and watermelons were poor sources. Cryptoxanthin occurred acylated with C8 to C18 saturated fatty acids in the fruits analysed.