Carotenoid Content Of Fruits Research Articles

Flavour compounds in tomato fruits: identification of loci and potential pathways affecting volatile composition

The unique flavour of a tomato fruit is the sum of a complex interaction among sugars, acids, and a large set of volatile compounds. While it is generally acknowledged that the flavour of commercially produced tomatoes is inferior, the biochemical and genetic complexity of the trait has made breeding for improved flavour extremely difficult. The volatiles, in particular, present a major challenge for flavour improvement, being generated from a diverse set of lipid, amino acid, and carotenoid precursors. Very few genes controlling their biosynthesis have been identified. New quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that affect the volatile emissions of red-ripe fruits are described here. A population of introgression lines derived from a cross between the cultivated tomato Solanum lycopersicum and its wild relative, S. habrochaites, was characterized over multiple seasons and locations. A total of 30 QTLs affecting the emission of one or more volatiles were mapped. The data from this mapping project, combined with previously collected data on an IL population derived from a cross between S. lycopersicum and S. pennellii populations, were used to construct a correlational database. A metabolite tree derived from these data provides new insights into the pathways for the synthesis of several of these volatiles. One QTL is a novel locus affecting fruit carotenoid content on chromosome 2. Volatile emissions from this and other lines indicate that the linear and cyclic apocarotenoid volatiles are probably derived from separate carotenoid pools.

Postharvest respiratory activity and changes in some chemical constituents during maturation of yellow mombin (Spondias mombin) fruit

Mature fruit from the yellow mombin (Spondias mombin) was monitored for its respiration activity. Mature green fruit from the yellow mombin was stored in closed glass chambers and the concentration of oxygen and carbon dioxide at the end of a six hour respiration period was determined. At the same interval of time, the lid of the chamber was opened for air renewal. The increase in carbon dioxide and decrease in oxygen concentration demonstrated that the fruit was climacteric. The maximum liberation of CO2 54.2 mL Kg -1 h-1 and maximum absorption of O2 49.0 mL Kg -1 h-1 occurred 186 hours after the harvest which, obviously, represented the optimum fruit quality after the senescence process started. The respiratory quotient of fruit at a climacteric maximum was 1.11 representing the oxidation of carbohydrates. Total soluble solids increased from 9.1 °Brix (initial) to 13.7 °Brix (climacteric maximum) during maturation, while the total number of acids in the fruit decreased during maturation i.e. from 1.55% initially to 1.40% at pre-climacteric, 1.0% at climacteric maximum and 0.8% in the post-climacteric stage. A similar behaviour was observed in the case of ascorbic acid. There was a continuous decrease in chlorophyll and a continuous increase in the carotenoid content of fruit during maturation.

Identification of loci affecting flavour volatile emissions in tomato fruits

Fresh tomato fruit flavour is the sum of the interaction between sugars, acids, and a set of approximately 30 volatile compounds synthesized from a diverse set of precursors, including amino acids, lipids, and carotenoids. Some of these volatiles impart desirable qualities while others are negatively perceived. As a first step to identify the genes responsible for the synthesis of flavour-related chemicals, an attempt was made to identify loci that influence the chemical composition of ripe fruits. A genetically diverse but well-defined Solanum pennellii IL population was used. Because S. pennellii is a small green-fruited species, this population exhibits great biochemical diversity and is a rich source of genes affecting both fruit development and chemical composition. This population was used to identify multiple loci affecting the composition of chemicals related to flavour. Twenty-five loci were identified that are significantly altered in one or more of 23 different volatiles and four were altered in citric acid content. It was further shown that emissions of carotenoid-derived volatiles were directly correlated with the fruit carotenoid content. Linked molecular markers should be useful for breeding programmes aimed at improving fruit flavour. In the longer term, the genes responsible for controlling the levels of these chemicals will be important tools for understanding the complex interactions that ultimately integrate to provide the unique flavour of a tomato.

Differences in anthocyanin and carotenoid content of fruits and vegetables

Two compounds important in giving the colour of fruits and vegetables were studied in different species. Anthocyanin and carotenoids were analysed in several varieties of sour cherry, tomato and apricot by HPLC methods. From the three species studied pigment composition of apricots was most variable between varieties while in other species primarily the content of pigments changed. In sour cherry three varieties contained anthocyanins in extremely high concentrations (Zafír, Csengõdi and Meteor cultivars). In tomatoes, lower concentration of lycopene was determined in table varieties grown in green house than processing varieties grown on open field. In apricots, Royal, Ceglédi óriás and Gönci Magyar were the richest varieties in carotenoid content. The weather of years has a dominant role in formation of colorants of plant species. There is evidence that difference in the weather between years was an important factor affecting anthocyanin and carotenoid composition and content.

Variation in β-Carotene and Total Carotenoid Content in Fruits of Capsicum

The β-carotene and total carotenoid content of either fresh or dried tissue of fruits of a total of 57 cultivars of six Capsicum species were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). β-Carotene levels in ripe fruit varied from 0 to 166 μg·g-1 fresh weight, and carotenoid levels were from 1 to 896 μg·g-1 in ripe fruit in 1996. The range of values for β-carotene was similar in 1997, but that for total carotenoids was wider (4 to 1173 μg·g-1 fresh weight). Fresh fruit of the cultivars Greenleaf Tabasco, Pulla, Guajillo, NuMex Conquistador, Ring-O-Fire, and Thai Dragon contained greater amounts of β-carotene per 100 g fresh weight than the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin A for the average adult. For dried Capsicum entries, New Mexican, aji, pasilla, and ancho types had the highest levels of β-carotene. In 1996, β-carotene levels among the dried Capsicum germplasm ranged from 2 to 739 μg·g-1 dry weight, and carotenoid levels from 111 to 6226 μg·g-1. Values were higher in 1997, ranging from 24 to 1198 μg·g-1 dry weight for β-carotene and from 187 to 10,121 μg·g-1 for total carotenoids. A pasilla type (C. annuum L.) had the highest total carotenoid content among the dried entries in both years.

Increased fruit and vegetable consumption within the EU: potential health benefits

In this EU (DG XII) funded project, a Core human study was conducted in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Spain, France and The Netherlands. Oxidative and antioxidant status, vegetable and fruit consumption, and carotenoid intake of volunteers from different countries was compared. Response to increased carotenoid intake was determined using a range of measurements. Attention was paid to whether the antioxidant capability of β-carotene, lutein and lycopene demonstrated in vitro, was apparent in relation to increased oxidation resistance of low-density-lipoprotein (LDL). Other (Complementary) studies were undertaken and included determination of: protective effects of carotenoid-rich foods against LDL and DNA oxidative damage; carotenoid absorbability; barriers to increased vegetable consumption; and carotenoid content of fruits and vegetables frequently consumed in Europe. Our results demonstrated that carotenoid supplementation did not increase LDL oxidation resistance. However, increased consumption of carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables did increase LDL oxidation resistance, and higher plasma concentration of total and specific carotenoids (pre-supplementation) was associated with lower DNA damage and higher repair activity.

INHERITANCE OF TOMATO FRUIT CAROTENOID CONTENT IN POPULATIONS DERIVED FROM A CROSS OF LYCOPERSICON ESCULENTUM × L. CHEESMANII

Tomato fruit carotenoid content was measured in mature fruit of parental, F1, F2 and backcross populations derived from an initial cross of L. esculentum, cv. Floradade, with the orange fruited L. cheesmanii, LA 317. Segregation patterns for orange flesh color and percent β-carotene in F1, F2 and backcross populations fit expected models for a single dominant gene conditioning a high percentage β-carotene content and resultant orange fruit pigmentation. The inheritance of β-carotene in L. cheesmanii paralleled that of the B gene described in L. hirsutum. β-carotene was generally accumulated at the expense of lycopene in orange-fleshed individuals. Correlations between carotenoid type and total carotenoid content were not evident. Variation observed in segregating F2 and backcross populations for total carotenoid content suggested that gains in selection for increased β-carotene and lycopene content may be realized.

Carotenoid content of fruits and vegetables: An evaluation of analytic data

The test of the association between dietary intake of specific carotenoids and disease incidence requires the availability of accurate and current food composition data for individual carotenoids. To generate a carotenoid database, an artificial intelligence system was developed to evaluate data for carotenoid content of food in five general categories, namely, number of samples, analytic method, sample handling, sampling plan, and analytic quality control. Within these categories, criteria have been created to rate analytic data for β-carotene, α-carotene, lutein, lycopene, and β-cryptoxanthin in fruits and vegetables. These carotenoids are also found in human blood. Following the evaluation of data, acceptable values for each carotenoid in the foods were combined to generate a database of 120 foods. The database includes the food description; median, minimum, and maximum values for the specific carotenoids in each food; the number of acceptable values and their references; and a confidence code, which is an indicator of the reliability of a specific carotenoid value for a food. The carotenoid database can be used to estimate the intake of specific carotenoids in order to examine the association between dietary carotenoids and disease incidence.

The Influence of Temperature on Regreening and Carotenoid Content of the ‘Valencia’ Orange Rind1

Abstract ‘Frost Valencia’ [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] budded to trifoliate orange rootstock [Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. 1, with orange-colored fruit, were subjected to 4 temperature regimes consisting of 2 day-night shoot environments and 2 constant soil temperatures in 2 glasshouses. In the cool shoot environment (20×15°C, day×night air temperature), carotenoid content of fruit increased substantially, whereas, in the warm glasshouses (30×15°), carotenoid content either changed little (apical and equatorial regions) or decreased slightly (basal region). Chlorophyll content of fruit increased to detectable levels only in the warm glasshouse. Soil temperatures of 15 and 25° had little or no influence on carotenoid or chlorophyll content of fruit in either glasshouse. Thus, regreening occurred only in the warm shoot environment and at both root temperatures. These temperature effects did not appear to operate through a redistribution of nitrogen to the rind.

CYTOGENETIC AND PIGMENT STUDIES OF A BLUE‐GREEN MUTANT FROM P32‐TREATED SEEDS OF THE TOMAT

NINE CHLOROPHYLL mutants of the tomato, eight of which were light green and one, dwarf d, darker green than the normal-green plant when examined visually, were reported by L. Butler et al. (1954). Lesley and Lesley (1956) reported two pale-green mutants. They recently also produced two dark-green mutants, one bearing dark red fruit. Although the chlorophyll contents of pale-green mutants have been studied (Highkin, 1950; Whitaker, 1952; Butler, L., et al., 1954), so far no study has been reported of the chlorophyll content of a dark-green mutant of the tomato. The purpose of this paper is to describe two darkgreen mutants of the tomato and to report on the genetics, chlorophyll content of leaves, and carotenoid content of fruit of one of them.