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| Authors: |
A. Manke Natchigal, A.C. Oliveira Stringheta, M. Corrêa Bertoldi, P.C. Stringheta |
| Keywords: |
African marigold, marigold, carotenoids, natural colorants, High Performance Liquid Chromatography |
| DOI: |
10.17660/ActaHortic.2012.939.40 |
Abstract:
In Brazil, there is a higher diversity of species and cultivars of flowers, including several cultivars of Tagetes patula L. (African marigold) and Calendula × officinalis L. (marigold) flowers, which could be commercially used as a rich source of lutein. However, little information regarding their lutein content is available so far. Therefore, our goal was to identify and quantify the lutein content from the yellow, orange and brown flowers from tagetes (Tagetes patula L.) as well as the yellow and orange flowers from calendula (Calendula officinalis L.). Analyses were performed using UV/VIS spectrophotometry and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The brown tagetes flowers showed the greatest content of lutein (1230.6 mg/100 g), which differed significantly from the other colors. However, the concentrations of lutein in yellow and orange calendula (29.8 mg/100 g) flowers were similar to the concentration observed in yellow tagetes (59.7 mg/100 g) flowers. According to HPLC analysis, the profile of carotenoids from orange tagetes flowers was similar to the brown tagetes flowers. On the other hand, this profile was different from those obtained from the yellow tagetes flowers as well as the ones acquired from the yellow and orange calendula flowers. Lutein represented the most abundant carotenoid presented in the African marigold, which suggest the commercial use of Tagetes patula L. as potential source of lutein. |
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