Abstract:

Carotenoids affect the external fruit quality and nutritional quality of citrus fruit greatly. In present study, effects of storage temperature (20°C and 4°C) on the carotenoid contents in fruit of ‘Cara Cara’ navel orange (C. sinensis Osbeck) was investigated. Results showed that the storage temperatures affected the carotenoids contents in peel and pulp of ‘Cara Cara’ in a tissue-specific manner. Room temperature (20°C) showed a positive role in pigmentation in peel of ‘Cara Cara’ only before 5 weeks of storage, but the total carotenoids remained a nearly stable level as time progressed. Low temperature (4°C) could maintain the carotenoid contents in the peel before early storage, but the contents were lower than those under room temperature. Except a slight increase in contents of β-carotene, lutein, α-cryptoxanthin at 10 weeks of storage, carotenoid contents in the pulp stored at 20 °C was not influenced. In contrast, the contents of carotenoid in the pulp under low temperature reached the peaks at 1 week of storage, and then remained nearly stable levels.