Extraction and chromatography of carotenoids from pumpkin

Vitamin A deficiency is a health problem in Southeast Asia that can be corrected by feeding orange fruits and vegetables such as mango. Pumpkin is a traditional Korean food that is easy to store and is already believed to have health benefits. We extracted carotenoids from pumpkin by liquid–liquid extraction and by supercritical fluid extraction. We measured carotenoids by reversed-phase chromatography with diode array detection. The major carotenoid in pumpkin (>80%) is β-carotene, with lesser amounts of lutein, lycopene, α-carotene and cis-β-carotene. Pumpkin is a rich source of β-carotene and might be useful for preventing Vitamin A deficiency.