Pigments and colour of Australian peach varieties

Abstract

The gross carotenoid pigment content of thirteen peach varieties are shown to range from 17.5 ug/g to 53.8 ug/g. Differences in the gross pigment spectral curves are principally due to differences in the types and concentrations of the major xanthophyllus. A detailed characterization of the pigments of the Kiemoes, Wight and Young varieties shows the pigment make-up to be complex. Sixteen carotenoid pigments are identified, but many more are present in insufficient concentration for characterization. Three colour indices derived from tristimulus colour measurements are shown to correlate closely with subjectively evaluated colour intensity, but no simple relationship could be established between tristimulus values and subjective colour preference. Gross pigment contents are shown to correlate significantly with both objective colour measurements and subjective ranking of peach colour intensity