A Modified Extraction and Saponification Method for the Determination of Carotenoids in the Fruit of Capsicum annuum

Hung Trieu Hong (), Rimjhim Agarwal, Tatsuyoshi Takagi, Michael E. Netzel, Stephen M. Harper and Tim J. O’Hare
Additional contact information
Hung Trieu Hong: Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Coopers Plains, Brisbane, QLD 4108, Australia
Rimjhim Agarwal: Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Coopers Plains, Brisbane, QLD 4108, Australia
Tatsuyoshi Takagi: Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Coopers Plains, Brisbane, QLD 4108, Australia
Michael E. Netzel: Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Coopers Plains, Brisbane, QLD 4108, Australia
Stephen M. Harper: School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia
Tim J. O’Hare: Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Coopers Plains, Brisbane, QLD 4108, Australia

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-17

Abstract: Quantification of free and bound carotenoids in pigmented fruit and vegetable matrices has previously been challenging due to carotenoid instability, degradation during extraction, and the prevalence of predominant carotenoid esters. The aim of the present study was to develop an optimized extraction procedure that minimises the loss of free and bound carotenoids by utilising a combination of extraction solutions, followed by an improved saponification process. A mixture of hexane, dichloromethane, ethanol and water achieved the highest extraction efficiency (>97%) from the chili/capsicum matrix. The study also addressed the previously unexplained loss of carotenoids during saponification by adding phosphate buffer to the sample–extract mixture, which prevented soap micelle formation. Additionally, the duration and temperature of the saponification procedure and pH of the final extraction solution were further optimised to achieve a higher total carotenoid recovery. A total of 48 free and bound carotenoids were identified in the capsicum fruit samples using UHPLC-DAD-MS/MS. The total carotenoid content within six bell pepper and chili fruits ranged between 1.63 (green bell capsicum) and 32.08 mg/100 g fresh weight (sweet red baby capsicum). The current methodology potentially could be used in a broad range of different carotenoid-containing matrices and commodities.

Keywords: pigmented capsicum; carotenoid ester; stability; extraction; soap function (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/6/646/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/6/646/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:6:p:646-:d:1614971

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().