Resumen
- The goal of this study was to identify carotenoids present during the different processing step to obtain of 21 peach palm flour Carotenoids were tentatively identified and quantified by HPLC-DAD. Nine carotenoids 22 were present in raw pulp, fourteen were detected in cooked pulp, five of which are appears to be product of 23 isomerization and hydroxylation reactions from existing carotenoids in the raw pulp. Thirteen carotenoids 24 were detected in peach palm flour. The major carotenoid found in peach palm flour was all-trans-β-25 carotene, also present in raw peach palm at a concentration of 96,0 ± 1,7 µg equ. β-carotene/g d.w. The 26 level of this compound decreased significantly (p<0,05) during cooking and air drying reaching a final 27 concentration of 33,3 ± 1,0 µg β-carotene/g d.w in the flour. The production of peach palm flour reduces 28 (p<0,05) the total carotenoid content (373,4 to 237,7 µg β-carotene/g d.w.), getting a final retention rate of 29 63,7% at the end of the peach palm flour process. Moreover, nine out of fourteen carotenoids account for 30 the high level of provitamin A. The level of provitamin A however, decreased significantly from 2723 31 retinol equivalent (RE)/100 g in the pulp of raw peach palm to 1614 RE/100 g in cooked peach palm and 32 1289 RE/100 g in peach palm flour.