The present study aimed to identify and compare the content of tocopherols, ascorbic acid and carotenoids
in yellow passion fruit grown under different cultivation systems. The passion fruits were obtained
from two systems: an organic system and a conventional system. Samples from both systems
were obtained in 2008. The tocopherols, carotenoids, and ascorbic acid analysis were carried out using
high-performance liquid chromatography. The results showed that the passion fruit grown under the
organic cultivation approach contained a higher content of tocopherols than those cultivated using
conventional methods (0.061 and 0.052 mg of tocopherols.100 g1 of fresh fruit, respectively). The major
component in the samples produced by both systems was g-tocopherols, which were found at a concentration
of 0.045 mg$100 g1 in the organic fruits and 0.042 mg$100 g1 in the conventional fruits. The
amount of total ascorbic acid was 2.3 102 and 1.9 102 mg$100 g1 in the samples from the organic
and conventional systems respectively. The quantification of individual carotenoids in both the organic
and conventional passion fruit was 13.99 mg$100 g1
and 25.10 mg$100 g1 respectively. The conventional
passion fruit contained double the content of the carotenoids present in the organic fruits. bCriptoxanthin
was the main carotenoid found in both fruits.