南瓜类胡萝卜素含量的超高效液相色谱分析

类胡萝卜素是一类重要的天然色素。为了分析南瓜类胡萝卜素的成分及含量，以南瓜果肉为材料，通过对不同提取剂（甲醇、乙醇、石油醚、丙酮、丙酮-石油醚(1:1)、丙酮-石油醚(1:2)、丙酮-石油醚(1:4)）和提取方法（皂化和非皂化）的筛选，优化南瓜果肉类胡萝卜素的提取条件，并应用超高效液相色谱(UPLC)技术分析了23 个南瓜品种的类胡萝卜素成分及含量。结果表明，以乙醇作为提取剂并通过皂化处理更适合南瓜果肉类胡萝卜素的提取。南瓜果肉中含有β-胡萝卜素、α-胡萝卜素和叶黄素3 种类胡萝卜素，其成分组成及含量在南瓜种内及种间均存在差异，大部分印度南瓜和中国南瓜品种的类胡萝卜素总量明显高于美洲南瓜品种。实验所优化的提取及测定方法适合南瓜果肉类胡萝卜素的定性定量分析。

Analysis of Carotenoids Contents in Pumpkin by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography

Carotenoids are a kind of important natural pigments. In order to analyze the compositions and contents of carotenoids in pumpkin, pumpkin flesh was used as the material, different solvents (methanol, ethanol, petroleum ether, acetone, acetone: petroleum ether (1:1), acetone: petroleum ether (1:2) and acetone: petroleum ether (1:4)) and extraction methods (saponification and unsaponification) were screened to optimize the carotenoids extraction conditions in pumpkin flesh. Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) technology was used to determine the carotenoid compositions and contents of 23 pumpkin cultivars. The results showed that the suitable extraction for carotenoids in pumpkin was ethanol solvent with saponification. Pumpkin flesh contained three carotenoid compositions, β - carotene, α- carotene and lutein, and the compositions and contents were both different in interspecies and intraspecies. Most of Cucurbita maxima and Cucurbita moschata cultivars had higher total carotenoid contents than Cucurbit pepo cultivars. The optimized extraction and determination methods in this study are suitable to the quality and quantity analysis of pumpkin flesh in China.