Resumen

MORENO ALVAREZ, M.J.; BELEN, D.R.; GARCIA, D  y  MENDOZA, L. Evaluation of total carotenoids content in some Venezuelan orange peel varieties. Rev. Fac. Agron. [online]. 2006, vol.23, n.3, pp.301-309. ISSN 0378-7818.

With the aim of evaluating the total carotenoids content in orange peels (Varieties: california, pineapple, creole and cajera) were determined a selection of fruits was made according to the following criteria: the apparent absence of chlorophyll and homogeneous ripeness. Peels were processed in order to obtain flour, which was submitted to independent exhaustive extraction processes, using as a solvent hexane and an ether mix petroleum/hexane (25:75) Significant differences were determined in relation to the quantification of the total evaluated carotenoids among the four evaluated varieties (P<0.05). The best treatment was the 75% hexane mix: 25% of petroleum ether, independently of the variety. The variety with the highest yield was the Creole, with a 140.0 mg content of carotenoids/kg of peels.

Palabras clave : Oranges; carotenoids; extraction; organic solvents.