Landrace pumpkins occur in nature and their potential as source of pro-vitamin A may be investigated in order to
be used in conventional plant breeding or biofortification programs, aiming to increase the total carotenoids and
β-carotene contents. The objective of the study was to determine the total carotenoid, α-carotene, β-carotene
and its isomers and contents in two landrace samples (A and B) of raw pumpkins (Cucurbita moschata) to verify
its seed production potential. High Performance Liquid Chromatography and UV/Visible spectrophotometry were
used to determine α-carotene, β-carotene and its isomers, and total carotenoid contents, respectively. All
analyses were carried out in triplicate. The results showed mean total carotenoid contents of 404.98 in sample A,
and 234.21 μg/g in sample B. The α-carotene contents varied from 67.06 to 72.99 μg/g in samples A and B,
respectively. All E-β-carotene was the most abundant isomer found varying from 244.22 to 141.95 μg/g in
samples A and B, respectively. The 9 and 13-Z-β-carotene isomers were still found in low concentrations in both
analyzed landrace samples. The content of β-carotene in raw sample A showed to be promising for the production
of seeds for cultivation and consumption