HPLC-PDA-MS/MS of anthocyanins and carotenoids from dovyalis and tamarillo fruits.

Anthocyanins and carotenoids are natural pigments responsible for the color of vegetables and fruits, and they are also bioactive compounds, both demonstrating important biological, therapeutic, and preventative properties. Considering the biodiversity of edible fruits, high performance liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array and mass spectrometry detectors (HPLC-PDA-MS) was used to establish the composition of carotenoids and anthocyanins from dovyalis and tamarillo fruits. Ten anthocyanins and 26 carotenoids were found in dovyalis, whereas tamarillo showed 3 anthocyanins and 17 carotenoids. Higher contents of anthocyanins and carotenoids were found in dovyalis, 42.0 and 6.6 mg/100 g, respectively, as compared to tamarillo fruits with 8.5 and 4.4 mg/100 g, respectively. Although these fruits belong to different families, delphinidin 3-rutinoside and beta-cryptoxanthin were found to be, respectively, the major anthocyanin and carotenoid in both fruits.