Vitamins in fruits and vegetables of the Amazon. 1. Methods for the determination of β—carotene, tocopherol and ascorbic acid with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)

Summary At the beginning of on inventory of the chemical composition of regional fruits and vegetables of the Amazon, analytical methods were adapted for the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) determination of pro-vitamin A (β—carotene), vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin E (tocopherol) The first analyses indicate as excellent sources of β—carotene, Mauritia flexuosa L., Astrocaryum tucuma Mart. and Cucurbita pepa L.; of asco bic acid Theobroma grandiflorum (Culis ex Spreng.) Schum. and Gnetum paniculatum Spr. ex Ben. th. and of vitamin E, Mauritia flexuosa L. and Euterpe oleracea Mart.