Abstract:
Fruit and vegetables provides most of the carotenoids in the human diet, and their consumption is always an
essential requirement for human nutrition due to the presence of bioactive compounds. The study investigated the presence of
carotenoids in different parts (pulp, peel and seeds) of the underutilized, exotic fruits Annonaceae family species (Annona
squamosa, Annona muricata and Annona reticulata) growing in the coast region of Kenya. HPLC profiling of the pulp extracts
revealed the presence of neoxanthin, violaxanthin and zeaxanthin, α-carotene, β-carotene, γ-carotene, chlorophyll a and
chlorophyll b. A. squamosa had higher levels of α-carotene (16.95±0.01), Zeaxanthin (10.45±0.04) and Violaxanthin
(12.44±0.17). Lutein (6.62±0.18) and β-carotene (5.77±0.02) were in A. reticulata pulp while the pulp of A. muricata had the
lowest levels of all the identified carotenoids. There was no significant difference in levels of the identified carotenoids in the
pulp of the three species of Annonaceae fruits (p > 0.05). Results in this study demonstrate that the Annonaceae fruits are good
source of antioxidant carotenoids and can be incorporated in the diet to promote human nutritional requirements and health.
