Pigments in fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are important sources of nutrients with beneficial effects on human health such as the prevention or delaying of diseases. Many of these effects are promoted by the antioxidant properties of pigments, which are responsible for the color of the products. The diversity of colors and biological properties of fruit and vegetables are related with the chemical structures of the synthetized pigments that are generally classified as carotenoids, tetrapyrroles, polyphenolic compounds and alkaloids. The identification and quantification of natural pigment compounds are important for identifying foods with functional properties, which may be related to health-promotion or disease prevention. However, research on this topic involves many analytical methods and requires a deep knowledge in diverse scientific areas. This chapter provides an overview of the analytical procedures developed for pigment analysis in fruit and vegetables, including a brief summary of the relevant extraction techniques often used. Some technologies, which in the past were more restricted to basic research, are also highlighted.