Characterizing of carotenoid diversity in peach fruits affected by the maturation and varieties

Abstract

Although peach fruits are known to exhibit high carotenoid content, the effect of maturation and variety on the carotenoid diversity has not been investigated in detail. Herein, carotenoids in 35 varieties of peach were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography combined with atmospheric pressure chemical-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-APCI-MS/MS), and 12 carotenoids were identified in every peach flesh. The results suggest that lutein was the main carotenoid, accounting for over 63.6 % of the total carotenoid pool in both white- and yellow-fleshed peach varieties at the immature stage. In contrast, at the mature stage, phytoene was the major carotenoid with a contribution of more than 51.1 %. In addition, the main carotenoids present in 30 yellow-fleshed peach varieties were β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, (E/Z)-phytoene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, with their content varying from 5.07 to 28.9, 2.19–88.05, 0.41–8.8, 0.83–10.8, and 1.33–19.08 µg/g DW, respectively. The results obtained suggest the rich diversity of carotenoid profiles in peaches. • The main carotenoids are β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, phytoene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. • Lutein is the main carotenoid at the immature stage. • Phytoene is the major carotenoid at the mature stage. • The carotenoid diversity and content are affected by maturation and variety factors.