HPLC SEPARATION OF CHLOROPHYLL AND CAROTENOID-PIGMENTS OF 4 KIWI FRUIT CULTIVARS

Major pigment constituents of the extracts of four kiwi fruit (Actinidia chinensis, Planch) cultivars (Hayward, Abbot, Bruno, and Monty) have been separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a C-18 reversed-phase column. At the ripe stage, three classes of compounds were shown to be present: xanthophylls, chlorophylls and their derivatives, and only one hydrocarbon carotenoid (beta-carotene). The xanthophylls were identified as violaxanthin, neoxanthin, neochrome, auroxanthin, lutein epoxide, and lutein. Neo A and neo B, mono-cis isomers of lutein, were observed in all kiwi fruit extracts. The chlorophylls were identified as chlorophyll b and chlorophyll a and the decomposition product pheophytin a. A chlorophyll a derivative with unknown structure was detected in the four cultivars, and only Abbot kiwi fruit extracts showed the presence of the epimeric forms, chlorophyll b' and chlorophyll a'. The only hydrocarbon carotenoid present in this fruit was beta-carotene with very low content in all cultivars, especially in Monty kiwi fruits.