Identification and quantification of carotenoids in paprika fruits and cabbage, kale, and lettuce leaves

Abstract

Twelve carotenoids were identified in Korean leafy vegetables and paprikas. by high-performance liquid chromatography, Carotenoid contents varied greatly, with red paprika having a higher antheraxanthin and capsanthin contents than other paprikas. Orange paprika had higher levels of zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein, and α-carotene compared to those of other paprikas. The results of Pearson's correlation analysis using quantitative data of carotenoids revealed that significant positive relationships were apparent between capsanthin and antheraxanthin (r=0.9870, p <0.0001), zeaxanthin and α-cryptoxanthin (r=0.9951, p <0.0001), as well as lutein and α-carotene (r=0.9612, p <0.0001). Because the correlations between carotenoids levels have provided valuable information regarding metabolic associations, this technique will contribute to identifying metabolic links for carotenoid biosynthesis. © 2014 The Korean Society for Applied Biological Chemistry.