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Variation in the carotenoid composition of acerola and its processed products
Author(s) -
Porcu Ornella Maria,
RodriguezAmaya Delia B
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2562
Subject(s) - violaxanthin , neoxanthin , carotenoid , ripening , lutein , food science , chemistry , cultivar , carotene , botany , composition (language) , horticulture , ascorbic acid , zeaxanthin , biology , linguistics , philosophy
Acerola is now commercially produced and processed in Brazil. Known for its very high vitamin C content, this fruit is also a good source of β‐carotene. The present study was carried out to verify variation in the carotenoid composition along the food chain. Neoxanthin, violaxanthin, lutein, β‐cryptoxanthin, α‐carotene and β‐carotene were found in the acerola fruit. β‐Carotene predominated with mean concentrations of 12.4 and 38.1 µg g −1 in the ripe fruit, 8.8 and 30.1 µg g −1 in the peeled ripe fruit and 5.4 and 12.0 µg g −1 in the partially ripe fruit of an undefined variety taken from home gardens and the commercial cultivar Olivier, respectively. Aside from β‐carotene, β‐cryptoxanthin increased significantly in both garden and commercial fruits and violaxanthin in the latter fruits during ripening. Peeling reduced β‐carotene in both garden and commercial lots, violaxanthin decreased in the commercial fruits, and the other carotenoids remained virtually unchanged. Four brands of frozen pulp and three brands of processed juice had variable and markedly lower carotenoid levels than those of the fresh fruit, indicating that the processing should be improved. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry