Determinação de carotenoides em diferentes tipos de melões (Cucumis melo L.) nos períodos de safra e entressafra

Abstract

Carotenoids are natural pigments present in a variety of fruits, including salmon (Cucumis melo L.), whose commercial types are Cantaloupe, Charentais and Honey Dew White (or Orange), which have a sweet taste and pleasant aroma, and are cultivated in the State of Rio Grande do Norte. The present study determined the yield, total carotenoid content and β-carotene in different types of salmon pulp melon in the harvest and off-season periods. The extraction of the pigments was carried out from the fresh fruit pulp, dried in a ventilated oven (55°C/26 h) and crushed in a blender. The extract was obtained by maceration to exhaustion, using ethanol (1: 4 w / v), under light protection. Subsequently, partition was performed with hexane (1: 1 v / v) and 10% sodium hydroxide solution (1:10 v / v). The hexane extract was taken to the rotavapor and then to the nitrogen flow to ensure total evaporation of the solvent. The crude extract was characterized as the total carotenoid content by UV-visible spectrophotometry and β-carotene by Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography. The commercial Charentais type highlighted by the total dry extract content [3.4 (0.56) %] and total carotenoid concentration in relation to the other types during the harvest period [72.9 (4.50) μg/g pulp]. On the other hand, it was found that the commercial type Cantaloupepresented higher concentration of β-carotene in the off-season [28.1 (1.98) μg/g pulp]. Thus, it is important to know about differences in carotenoid concentrations in relation to the harvest and off-season periods, as they help to understand the process of carotenogenesis occurring in plants.