The extract obtained was transferred to a 500 mL separatory funnel containing 40 mL of petroleum ether. The acetone was removed through the slow addition of ultrapure water (Milli-Q -
Millipore) to prevent emulsion formation. The aqueous phase was
discarded. This procedure was repeated four times until no residual
solvent remained. Then, the extract was transferred through a funnel
to a 50 mL volumetric flask containing 15 g of anhydrous sodium
sulfate. The volume was made up by petroleum ether, and the samples
were read at 450 nm. The total carotenoid content was calculated
using the following formula: