Extraction of carotenoids from pumpkin using various organic solvents

Karotenoidi su biljni pigmenti, po kemijskoj strukturi tetraterpeni, koji buči daju narančastu ili žutu boju. Neki od karotenoida imaju antioksidacijska svojstva, dok β-karoten ima i provitaminsko djelovanje.U ovom radu je opisan postupak ekstrakcije karotenoida iz muškatne buče (Cucurbita moschata) i turkinje (Cucurbita maxima). Ekstrahirani pigmenti podvrgnuti su pročišćavanju preparativnom tankoslojnom kromatografijom, a identifikacija izoliranih karotenoida provedena je pomoću FTIR-spektroskopije, gdje su u svim snimljenim spektrima vidljive vrpce koje odgovaraju C=C vezi, što je karakteristika terpenoidnih spojeva. Dobiveni rezulatati pokazuju da se u sastavu Cucurbite maxime nalazi najviše β-karotena, luteina, likopena, a najmanje kriptoksantina , a u sastavu Cucurbite moschate nalazi se najviše luteina, potom likopena i β-karotena.Carotenoids are plant pigments, in chemical structure tetraterpenes, which give an orange or yellow color to a pumpkine. Some carotenoids have antioxidant properties, and β-carotene has provitamin action. Thesis describes the procedure for extracting carotenoids from Winter squash (Cucurbita maxima) and Muscat pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata). Extracted pigments were purified with preparative thin layer chromatography and isolated carotenoids were identified with FTIR spectroscopy, all recorded spectra of visible bands corresponding to C = C connection, characteristic of terpenoids compounds. The obtained results show that Cucurbita maxima contain the highest level of β-carotene, lutein, lycopene, cryptoxanthin and Cucurbita moschata contain the highest level of lutein, lycopene, and β-carotene