Plum fruit Carotenoids

Carotenoids are an important class of organic pigments that are widespread in the animal and plant kingdoms; their colour ranges from yellow to reddish. Because of their many positive effects on human health, it is recommended to consume foods containing high levels of carotenoids. The fruits of the European plum (Prunus domestica L.) generally contain important amounts of carotenoids. In 2014 and 2015, fruits harvested from different plum cultivars were processed to plum juice. The juices were analysed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) for their carotenoid content. The concentration of carotenoids varied greatly between cultivars bearing yellow and blue fruits, but also between cultivars within these two groups. For juices from 2014, the carotenoid content was lower than for juices from 2015. This may be because the juices taken in 2014 were frozen until analysis, whereas the juices obtained in 2015 were analysed directly. However, other factors cannot be excluded.