Carotenoid Profiles of Yam Cultivars Using Acclaim C30

Importance of the Topic

Carotenoids determine the visual appeal and nutritional value of many crops, including yams. Profiling these pigments in different yam cultivars is essential for understanding biosynthetic pathways, guiding breeding programs, and supporting quality control in food and nutraceutical industries.

Objectives and Study Overview

This study evaluated the carotenoid composition of three yam cultivars—garnet, white and purple—using high-performance liquid chromatography on a Thermo Scientific Acclaim C30 column. The goal was to separate and quantify major carotenoids: lutein, α-cryptoxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, β-carotene and lycopene.

Methodology and Instrumentation

Samples were prepared according to established protocols and injected at 2 µL for garnet yam and 8 µL for white and purple yams. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Thermo Scientific Dionex UltiMate 3000 RSLC system with:

• Column: Thermo Scientific Acclaim C30, 3 µm, 3.0 × 150 mm
• Mobile phases: A) acetonitrile; B) methanol:ethyl acetate (1:1 v/v); C) 10 mM formic acid in water
• Gradient: initial 95% A, 4.5% B, 0.5% C; ramp to 54.5% A/45% B at 21 min; hold to 25 min
• Flow rate: 0.64 mL/min; column temperature: 30 °C
• Detection: diode array detector scanning 260–800 nm; chromatograms shown at 450 nm

Main Findings and Discussion

All three cultivars exhibited five well-resolved carotenoid peaks identified as:

1. Lutein
2. α-Cryptoxanthin
3. β-Cryptoxanthin
4. β-Carotene
5. Lycopene

Garnet and white yams showed higher overall carotenoid levels compared to purple yam, which contains additional pigment classes responsible for its distinctive coloration. The Acclaim C30 column delivered superior selectivity and peak shape for structurally similar carotenoids.

Benefits and Practical Applications

The optimized C30 method allows routine profiling of carotenoids in agricultural and food analysis laboratories. It supports:

• Breeding efforts targeting enhanced nutritional quality
• Quality control of fresh and processed yam products
• Research into biosynthetic enzyme activity across cultivars

Future Trends and Opportunities

Advances may include coupling with mass spectrometry for trace-level detection, high-throughput screening platforms for large breeding populations, and integration with metabolomic studies to explore interactions between carotenoids and other pigment classes in novel cultivars.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that the Thermo Scientific Acclaim C30 column provides reliable, high-resolution separation of major carotenoids in diverse yam cultivars, facilitating both nutritional assessment and cultivar differentiation.

Reference

1. Hirschberg J., Cohen M., Harker M., Lotan T., Mann V. and Pecker I. Pure & Appl. Chem. 1997;69(10):2151–2158.
2. Rodriguez-Amaya D.B. and Kimura M. International Food Policy Research Institute, HarvestPlus Handbook for Carotenoid Analysis, 2004.