Carotenoid composition and vitamin A value of Brazilian loquat (Eribotrya japonica Lindl) / Contenido de carotenoides y vitamina A en níspero brasileño

RESUMEN

Six sample lots of loquat commercialized in Campinas, Brazil were analyzed for their carotenoid composition ß-carotene (7.8 µ/g), d-carotene (0.1 µg/g), ß-cryptoxanthin (4.8 µg/g), 5,6 monoepoxy-ß-cryptoxanthin (0.6 µg/g), violaxanthin (1.6 µg/g), neoxanthin (0.8 µg/g) and auroxanthin (0.9 µg/g) were identified ß-Carotene and ß-cryptoxanthin were the principal pigments, being responsible for 44 por ciento and 27 por ciento, respectively, of the total caroteid content (17.6 µg/g). Both were also the principal contributors to the vitamin A value of 175 RE/100g. The caroteid composition of the Brazilian loquat resembles that of the Japanese loquat varuety Tamaka