Comparative Study of the Carotenoid Composition of the Seeds of Ripening Momordica charantia and Tomatoes.

The total carotenoid concentration of the seeds of Momordica charantia rose about 100-fold from the immature to the ripe stage. The massive increase was almost exclusively attributable to lycopene, which accounted for 96% of the carotenoids of the ripe seeds. The carotenoid pattern of the seed was found to be drastically different from that of the pericarp. The seed, which contained fewer carotenoids, had a total concentration 12 times greater than that in the pericarp at the ripe stage. The acyclic lycopene selectively accumulated in the seed, whereas the cyclic carotenoids, cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin and beta-carotene, were the principal pigments of the ripe pericarp. The seed of ripe tomatoes reflected the qualitative pattern of the whole fruit. The total carotenoid concentration was, however, much lower and the lycopene content was particularly low. beta-Carotene, having a comparatively high concentration, emerged as the major pigment of the seed.