Characterization of Carotenoids in Juice of Red Navel Orange (Cara Cara)

Abstract

High-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection was applied for the separation and characterization of carotenoids from a red-fleshed navel orange (Cara Cara). Carotenoid pigments were extracted using hexane/acetone/ethanol and saponified using 10% methanolic potassium hydroxide. More than 29 carotenoid pigments were separated within 60 min using a ternary gradient (75% acetonitrile/25% methanol, methyl tert-butyl ether, and water) elution on a C(30) reversed-phase column. The presence of lycopene (3.9 +/- 1.1 ppm) and a relatively large percentage of beta-carotene were distinct differences in the pigment profile of this red navel orange juice as compared to the profile of standard navel orange juice. The juice color in the red navel was much deeper orange than that from navel orange; hue angle ranged from 84.1 to 89.4 for red navel compared to 98.2 to 100.5 for standard navel.

Epoxycarotenoids esters analysis in intact orange juices using two‐dimensional comprehensive liquid chromatography

“…b-Carotene, b-cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, violaxanthin and luteoxanthin have been frequently recognized as the major carotenoids in orange juices [15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. However, all these works have been aimed to study the free carotenoid pattern.…”

Pigments in Citrus

“…Some of these cultivars have unusually high lycopene accumulation that results in deep red flesh, and these have been top choices to study the molecular mechanisms of the flux of the relevant pigments, including "Cara Cara" navel orange [30,31,[55][56][57], "Hong Anliu" sweet orange [58][59][60][61][62], and "Flame" and other red grapefruits [19,63,64]. They are also widely cultivated in certain regions primarily for fresh consumption because of visual appeal and the presumed health benefits of lycopene and sweeter taste in red grapefruits [65,66].…”

The Influence of Pre‐ and Postharvest Environmental Stress on Fruit Bioactives

“…In addition, numerous carotenoids have been identified in citrus fruits, including lutein, zeaxanthin and ␤-cryptoxanthin, with the orange colour of the peel and flesh largely due to carotenoids (Mangels et al, 1993) and the red coloration of Red Navel and Valencia oranges mainly due to the presence of lycopene and cryptoxanthin, respectively (Lee, 2001). Many citrus fruits also contain triterpene limonoids (Ejaz et al, 2006).…”