Variation in glucose, α- and β-carotene and lutein content during storage time in winter squash "type Butternut"
2017
Zaccari, F. | Cabrera, M. C. | Saadoun, A.
Winter squash, “type butternut pumpkin”, is an interesting source of high quality nutrients, but after 4 to 6 months of storage there are physiological processes that can modify the content of these compounds. The aim of this work was to determine the variation in valuable nutrients during the storage of squashes. Content of total glucose, α- and β-carotene and lutein were determined in raw pulp squash, “type butternut” ('Atlas F1', 'Sakata') at harvest (0), 2, 4 and 6 months of storage (14°C, 80% RH) from the whole fruits. Increasing carotenoids content was observed in raw pulp during the storage from 0 until 4 months. Lutein content was higher (79.7 μg 100 g-1 fw) at 2 months, while α-carotene (33.7 mg 100 g-1 fw) and β-carotene (37.6 mg 100 g-1 fw) were higher at 4 months of storage. Total glucose increased by 72% in the second month of storage and then decreased significantly by 46 and 80% at 4 and 6 months respectively compared with the content at 0 month fresh raw pulp. At 6 months, was lower in total glucose (0.8 times) and carotenoids higher (0.7 times) than harvest, in the dry matter content. These results show that storage significantly affects nutrient content in squashes, and that the nutritional value depends on the time of storage. This information is useful to a better understanding about the nutritional quality and composition of this food.
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