GAINESVILLE, Fla.—Researchers at the University of Florida Horticultural Sciences Department have found a way to correlate color space values with carotenoid content in pumpkins and squash. Called colorimetric analysis, the method helps identify and quantify carotenoid content, offering breeders the information needed to create new, carotenoid-rich varieties.
The new colorimetric analysis has simplified the identification and quantification of carotenoids. The traditional method, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is highly sensitive and reproducible, but can be expensive and time-consuming. The colorimetric analysis, the researchers say, “will be successful, easy to implement, and inexpensive."
For the study, published in HortScience, pumpkins and squash with white, yellow and orange flesh color were grown at multiple locations. The flesh of each specimen was evaluated using both HPLC and colorimetric analysis. The researchers found “strong correlations between colorimetric values and carotenoid content.”
