ISHS Acta Horticulturae 531: II ISHS Conference on Fruit Production in the Tropics and Subtropics
PROVITAMIN A CAROTENOIDS, ORGANIC ACIDS AND ASCORBIC ACID CONTENT OF CAPE GOOSEBERRY (PHYSALIS PERUVIANA L.) ECOTYPES GROWN AT TWO TROPICAL ALTITUDES |
| Authors: | G. Fischer, G. Ebert, P. Lüdders |
| Keywords: | α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, citric, malic and tartaric acid, temperature |
| Abstract:
Cape gooseberry fruits are a rich source of provitamin A and vitamin C. Therefore the influence of altitudinal location on carotenoids and acid content in cape gooseberry fruits is of special interest in order to improve the nutrition of the Andean highland people and the fruit export quality. Cape gooseberry ecotypes ‘Colombia’, ‘South Africa’ and ‘Kenya’ were grown at 2300 m above sea level (a.s.l.) and 2690 m a.s.l. in the Boyaca region (5°N 73°W) of Colombia. The climate conditions at 2300 m/2690 m a.s.l. were: mean air temperature: 17°C/12.5°C, mean soil temperature: 19.5°/C16.8°C, relative humidity: 66.6%/79%, annual precipitation: 837 mm/302 mm, daily sunshine hours: 5.3/5.3, UV-B radiation: 148 mW/160 mW. In ripe fruits provitamin A carotenoids (  - and  -carotene, -cryptoxanthin), ascorbic acid and organic acids (citric, malic and tartaric acid) were determined using HPLC. -carotene content increased markedly whereas -carotene and -cryptoxanthin only slightly increased with decreasing altitude (2300 m a.s.l.). Possibly, the higher temperature at 2300 m a.s.l. enhanced the provitamin A content.
Of the analyzed carotenoids, -carotene had the highest concentration (236 μg 100 g-1 FW) and was maximum in fruits of the ‘South Africa’ ecotype.
Altitude did not show a significant influence on ascorbic acid content (32.2 mg 100 g-1 FW), probably because of the comparable number of daily sunshine hours at the two locations.
Also, none of the analyzed organic acids was affected by the site factor.
Citric acid was the dominating acid (2018 mg 100 g-1 FW) and was highest in fruits of the ‘Kenya’ ecotype.
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