Thin Layer Chromatographic Characterization of Carotenoid Isolates in Sugar Date Palm (Phoenix sylvestris) Fruit Epicarp and Inflorescence Axis

Plant carotenoids are one of the most important classes of plant pigments and play a crucial role in defining the quality parameter of fruits and vegetables. They possess a large numbers of important biological activities such as antioxidant properties, anti – carcinogenic, precursor of vitamin A and preventive in a large number of chronic diseases. The objective of the present study was to characterize the carotenoids present in Phoenix sylvestris fruits and their inflorescence axis which are orange red in colour. So, in this study we isolated carotenoids from both the epicarp and the extensively large inflorescence axis by preparative TLC and also characterized some of the major components like β- carotene and lutein using HPTLC analytical techniques. The present findings suggest that the consumption of β-carotene and lutein from this fruit crop can be helpful in providing potential targets for combating vitamin A deficiency in countries where vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem