Carotenoids in Fruits of Different Persimmon Cultivars

Abstract

Carotenoids in the peel and the flesh of persimmon fruit were identified, and the contents of carotenoids in the fleshes of 46 different persimmon cultivars were analyzed. The results indicated that 31 specific carotenoids were detected in both cultivars of persimmons, among which nine specific carotenoids were characterized. β-Cryptoxanthin was the most abundant carotenoid among all individual components in both the peel and the flesh, accounting for about 20-30% of the total carotenoids in both cultivars. The contents of total carotenoids in the fleshes of different persimmon cultivars were between 194.61 µg/100g FW and 1,566.30 µg/100g FW. Zeaxanthin was also the most abundant in all persimmon fleshes besides β-Cryptoxanthin, and the total amount of these two components accounted for 37.84-85.11% of the total carotenoids. The RE values in the fleshes of different cultivars also differed greatly. Besides, the stage of maturation was also important factor which could influence the carotenoid content and RE value in the fleshes.

Comparison of sensory and compositions of five selected persimmon cultivars (Diospyros kaki L.) and correlations between chemical components and processing characteristics

“…While, Giordani et al (2011) reported that the contents of β-carotene in cultivars 'Fuji', 'Triumph' and 'Jiro' were 31, 45 and 93 μg/100 g, respectively, which were much lower than our results, probably due to cultivar differences and environmental effects. Zhou et al (2011) demonstrated that the content of β-carotene in cultivar 'YueShi' rapidly increased from green to mature, indicating that the maturity of persimmon fruit also had an important impact on the carotenoid content. The β-carotene content in persimmon was lower than that in mango, apricot and papaya, but higher than that in apple, pear and orange (Giordani et al 2011).…”

“…yellow and orange to deep red, which results from the different contents of carotenoids (Zhou et al 2011). Persimmon fruits with high concentrations of carotenoids and polyphenols also exert greatly potential effects on preventing cardiovascular diseases (George and Redpath 2008).…”

Effect of chitosan coatings on the quality of persimmon under commercial storage conditions.

“…In some cases, they were higher, for example the β-cryptoxanthin on the Fuyu and Sheng varieties (RODRIGUEZ-AMAYA, 1997 exceptions, the reported values were higher in others research, for example the β-carotene on the Rama Forte variety (CARDOSO et al, 2011), the zeaxanthin and the β-cryptoxanthin in others cultivars (ZHOU et al, 2011), the α-carotene, the β-carotene and the cryptoxanthin on the Yotsumizo variety (RODRIGUEZ-AMAYA, 1997).…”

“…al., 2011) (Table 2). However, others research showed that the β-carotene was the most abundant on the varieties Fuyu and Sheng (RODRIGUEZ-AMAYA, 1997, ZHOU et al, 2011. Table 2.…”

“…The persimmons are rich in polyphenols, vitamin C and carotenoid components such as β-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, β,β-carotene and β,ε-carotene (ZHOU et al, 2011) wich are considered as powerful antioxidants. The persimmons consumption can carry health benefits such as the reduction of degenerative human diseases, the protection against free radicals and the prevention of oxidative damage, risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer (GIORDANI et al, 2011).…”