Carotenoid contents during ripening of banana hybrids and cultivars grown in Cameroon

Abstract

--Introduction. Bananas and plantains (Musa spp.) are staple foods in Cameroon and surrounding countries. Strategies based on the utilization of cultural and locally consumed foods are essential for the identification of solutions for the reduction of micronutrient malnutrition. Materials and methods. To assess the nutritional content of some varieties in order to assist the selection of new Musa hybrids, the carotenoid contents of 19 Musa cultivars and hybrids from the CARBAP (Douala, Cameroon) germplasm were determined at three ripening stages. Frozen pulps were analyzed for their β-carotene, α-carotene and lutein contents using the HPLC method. The retinol activity equivalents (RAE)·100 g -1 fresh weight were calculated for four representative Musa types. Results and discussion. Significant differences were observed between Musa cultivars according to their genotype. Plantain type (Mbouroukou n°1) and Musa hybrid (CRBP 755) exhibited the highest levels of RAE [(148 and 70) RAE·100 g -1 ] compared with dessert bananas (16 RAE·100 g -1 ). During ripening, the concentrations of these carotenoids increased or decreased significantly (α = 0.05%) according to the Musa type analyzed. The high β-and α-carotene as well as lutein contents of these Musa sp. could contribute to the nutritional status of people consuming these banana varieties in West and Central Africa and enhance their use in Musa breeding programs.

Content and Retention of Provitamin A Carotenoids Following Ripening and Local Processing of Four Popular Musa Cultivars from Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

“…This study confirms findings by Englberger et al (2006aEnglberger et al ( , 2006b), Davey et al (2009aDavey et al ( , 2009b and Ngoh-Newilah et al (2009), that darker (orange/red/dark yellow) pulped Musa cultivars generally have significantly higher values of carotenoids as compared to lighter (ivory/cream/light yellow) pulped Musa cultivars.…”

“…As previously observed by other researchers, the principal carotenoids identified in both the raw Musa fruits and the processed Musa fruits were t-BC, t-AC, and lutein, with minor amounts of the 13-cis isomers of AC and BC (Davey et al, 2009a;Englberger et al, 2003a;Ngoh-Newilah et al, 2009). Results of dry matter were converted into fresh weight by percentage of moisture content [(fresh sample weigh minus weight after lyophilisation) divide by fresh sample weight multiplied by 100)].…”

“…According to the classification provided by the International vitamin A After harvest, most Musa fruits are stored for some time before being processed into various forms for consumption. During the storage period, besides fruit ripening, the pVACs contents have been reported to remain unaltered, increase or decrease but these changes appear to depend on the cultivar (Davey, Keulemans, & Swennen, 2006;Ngoh-Newilah et al, 2009). …”

Carotenoids in the pulp and peel of bananas from 15 cultivars in two ripening stages

“…Lutein, á-carotene and β-carotene were identified and quantified, fact that was also observed in bananas by other authors (Wall, 2006;Davey et al, 2009;Newilah et al, 2009;Ekesa et al, 2012;Lokesh et al, 2014) (Table 1). The cultivar and the fruit parts, as well as the ripening stage, influenced the evaluated carotenoid concentrations.…”

“…Among them, only β-carotene, α-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin may convert into vitamin A in the body (Davey et al, 2009;Newilah et al, 2009). The presence of lutein, á-carotene and β-carotene has been reported in bananas (Wall, 2006;Davey et al, 2009;Newilah et al, 2009;Ekesa et al, 2012;Lokesh et al, 2014). Thus, two provitamin A carotenoids may be found in bananas, in addition to lutein, which is known as macular carotenoid (Davey et al, 2009).…”