The Effects of Frozen Storage Conditions on Lycopene Stability in Watermelon Tissue
- 1 May 2003
- journal article
- Published by American Chemical Society (ACS) in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
- Vol. 51 (12), 3582-3585
- https://doi.org/10.1021/jf030022f
Abstract
The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the rate of deterioration of lycopene in watermelon tissue during frozen storage, because little is known about the stability of watermelon tissue lycopene under cold storage conditions. Heart tissue from each of nine individual watermelons was stored at −20 or −80 °C as either small chunks or puree and periodically sampled over a year's time. Initial freeze−thaw experiments indicated that a small percentage of lycopene, ∼4−6%, degraded during an initial freeze−thaw. Analyses of the samples showed a loss of ∼30−40% lycopene over a year's storage at −20 °C and a loss of ∼5−10% over the same period at −80 °C. Lycopene was slightly more stable in pureed compared with diced watermelon tissue at −20 °C, but not at −80 °C. The kinetic data were best fitted by application of two simultaneous, first-order decay processes. HPLC analysis of the samples after a year's storage suggested that β-carotene was more stable during storage at −20 °C than was lycopene. Keywords: Carotenoids; lycopene; lycopene stability; watermelon; watermelon frozen storageKeywords
This publication has 14 references indexed in Scilit:
- A Rapid Hexane‐free Method for Analyzing Lycopene Content in WatermelonJournal of Food Science, 2003
- Cultivar, Maturity, and Heat Treatment on Lycopene Content in TomatoesJournal of Food Science, 2000
- Importance of Carotenoid Structure in Radical-Scavenging ReactionsJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 1997
- The potential role of lycopene for human health.Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 1997
- Carotenoid Content of Thermally Processed Tomato-Based Food ProductsJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 1995
- Carotenoid biosynthesis in microorganisms and plantsEuropean Journal of Biochemistry, 1994
- Isolation and identification of singlet oxygen oxidation products of .beta.-caroteneChemical Research in Toxicology, 1993
- Characterization of products formed during the autoxidation of β-caroteneFree Radical Biology & Medicine, 1991
- Factors affecting the thermal degradation of all-trans-.beta.-caroteneJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 1990
- Kinetics of unfolding and refolding of proteins: II. Results for cytochrome cJournal of Molecular Biology, 1973