DEHIDRATATION SISTEM EFFECT ON THE CAROTENOIDS QUANTITY EXTRACTED OF TWO VARIETIES OF Carica papaya.

Abstract

In Ecuador the papaya export has increased due to international demand for this product. This gives way to an advantage of its by-products. The obtention of carotenoids from papaya fruits is of great importance, so the dyes market has grown vertiginous. This research has been carried out to evaluate two dehydration systems effect, as a pretreatment for carotenoids extraction and we have worked with two papaya varieties of greater cultivation in this country. The obtained carotenoids were determined by spectrophotometry at 450 nm. With applying the lyophilization method the highest amount extracted of total β-carotenes (5.87 ± 0.62 mg β-carotene/100 g dry sample) was obtained from the Sunrise Solo variety, while for the Tainung variety the values are minor (4.62 ± 0.28 mg β-carotene / 100 g dry sample). The dehydration system by lyophilization is the best pretreatment method for the extraction of carotenoids in the Sunrise Solo variety, while the tray drying is optimal for the Tainung variety