Changes in lycopene and beta carotene contents in aril and oil of gac fruit during storage

• Published in: Food chemistry Vol. 121; no. 2; pp. 326 - 331
• Main Authors: Nhung, Dang Thi Tuyet, Bung, Pham Ngoc, Ha, Nguyen Thu, Phong, Thai Khanh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 15.07.2010; [Amsterdam]: Elsevier Science; Elsevier
• Subjects: ambient temperature; Antioxidant; beta-carotene; Biological and medical sciences; Carotenoids; chemical degradation; essential oils; Fat industries; Food industries; food nutrient losses; food storage; Fruit and vegetable industries; fruit composition; fruits (food); Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; kinetics; lipid peroxidation; lycopene; mathematical models; Momordica; Momordica cochinchinesis; phytochemicals; plant fats and oils; Pro-vitamin A; Seed membrane; storage quality; storage temperature; storage time; vitamin content; Carotenoids; Pro-vitamin A; Seed membrane; Momordica cochinchinesis; Antioxidant; Seeds; Fruit; Carotene; Vitamin; Lycopene; Oil; Warehousing; Pigments; Food preservation; Membrane; Carotenoid
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.12.032

Gac fruits were physically measured and stored under ambient conditions for up to 2 weeks to observe changes in carotenoid contents (lycopene and beta carotene) in its aril. Initial concentrations in the aril of lycopene were from 2.378 mg/g fresh weight (FW) to 3.728 mg/g FW and those of beta carotene were from 0.257 to 0.379 mg/g FW. Carotenoid concentrations in the aril remained stable after 1 week but sharply declined after 2 weeks of storage. Gac oil, pressed from gac aril, has similar concentrations of lycopene and beta carotene (2.436 and 2.592 mg/g, respectively). Oil was treated with 0.02% of butylated hydroxytoluene, or with a stream of nitrogen or untreated then stored in the dark for up to 15 or 19 weeks under different temperatures (5 °C, ambient, 45 and 60 °C). Lycopene and beta carotene in control gac oil degraded following the first-order kinetic model. The degradation rate of lycopene and beta carotene in the treated oil samples were lower than that in the control oil but the first-order kinetic was not always followed. However, both lycopene and beta carotene degraded quickly in gac oil with the first-order kinetic under high temperature conditions (45 and 60 °C) regardless of the treatments used.