Tropical fruits as a source of carotenoids: biosynthesis, composition, bioavailability and processing effects.
Chacón Ordóñez T., Esquivel Rodríguez P.
Author Affiliation: Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, 2060, San José, Costa Rica.
Revista Venezolana de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos 4 : 1-23
Abstract : Carotenoids are synthetized from isopentenyl diphosphate and are present in a large variety of fruits. These pigments are of particular interest due to their benefits in health and applications in the food industry. There are several factors, such as, cultivation conditions, post-harvest management and food processing that may have an impact on carotenoid concentration in the fruits and their bioavailability. Carotenoid studies on different tropical fruits like acerola (Malpighia sp.), camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia), mango (Mangifera indica), naranjilla (Solanum quitoense), papaya (Carica papaya), cayenne cherry (Eugenia uniflora), peach palm (Bactris gasipaes H.B.K.), Barbados gooseberry (Pereskia aculeata) and mamey sapote (Pouteria sapota) were reviewed in this work in order to present the state of art and recommend relevant aspects for future investigations in this field.