Extraction and chromatography of carotenoids from pumpkin.
Vitamin A deficiency is a health problem in Southeast Asia that can be corrected by feeding orange fruits and vegetables such as mango. Pumpkin is a traditional Korean food that is easy to store and is already believed to have health benefits. We extracted carotenoids from pumpkin by liquid-liquid extraction and by supercritical fluid extraction. We measured carotenoids by reversed-phase chromatography with diode array detection. The major carotenoid in pumpkin (> 80%) is beta-carotene, with lesser amounts of lutein, lycopene, alpha-carotene and cis-beta-carotene. Pumpkin is a rich source of beta-carotene and might be useful for preventing Vitamin A deficiency.
Seo
Jung Sook
JS
Nutrition Department, Yuengnam University, Daegu, South Korea.
Burri
Betty Jane C
BJ
Quan
Zhejiu
Z
Neidlinger
Terry R
TR
D002338:Carotenoids / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D025924:Chromatography, Supercritical Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D028464:Cucurbita / Q000737:chemistry*
D002338:Carotenoids