CAROTENOID COMPOSITION AND VITAMIN-A VALUE OF BRAZILIAN LOQUAT (ERIOBOTRYA-JAPONICA LINDL)

Six sample lots of loquat commercialized in Campinas, Brazil were anal yzed for their carotenoid composition beta-carotene (7.8 mu g/g), zeta -carotene (0.1 mu g/g), neurosporene (1.1 mu g/g), beta-cryptoxanthin (4.8 mu g/g), 5,6-monoepoxy-beta-cryptoxanthin (0.6 mu g/g), violaxant hin (1.6 mu g/g), neoxanthin (0.8 mu g/g) and auroxanthin (0.9 mu g/g) were identified beta-Carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin were the princip al pigments, being responsible for 44% and 27%, respectively, of the t otal carotenoid content (17.6 mu g/g). Both were also the principal co ntributors to the vitamin A value of 175 RE/100g. The carotenoid compo sition of the Brazilian loquat resembles that of the Japanese loquat v ariety Tanaka.