Most of the carotenoids in pumpkin have not been identified
or measured, although preliminary data is available
from a few spectrophotometric and chromatographic studies
[21–24]. The major reason for this is that to our knowledge,
no methods have been developed to quantitatively extract
carotenoids or fat-soluble vitamins from pumpkin. The recommended
method for extracting carotenes from freezedried
vegetables [25] is labor-intensive, uses toxic solvents,
and requires overnight saponification. Although saponification
gives excellent extraction efficiencies and is useful for
quantitative measurements of total carotenoids, it is less
successful for determining individual carotenoids because
carotenoids are degraded and isomerized by saponification
conditions. Developing a simpler, faster, less toxic method for
routine measurements of carotenoids in pumpkin would be
useful for scientists and public health workers attempting to
use fruits and vegetables to combat Vitamin A deficiency.We