Santos, F.Albuquerque, T.G.Oliveira, M.B.Sanches-Silva, A.Costa, H.S.2014-02-072014-02-072013-09-23http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/1940Tropical fruits are known by their bioactive compounds and vitamins, which are essential in a healthy diet. In this study, six carotenoids and vitamin E were quantified in the pulp and by-products (seeds and peel) of four cultivars of Annona cherimola Mill. Fruit parts were separated and homogenised. Carotenoids and vitamin E (α-tocopherol) were extracted from samples with hexane/ethanol (4:3, v/v) and quantified using a validated method by Ultra-high Pressure Liquid Chromatography with diode array detection. Our results showed higher carotenoids content in the peel than in the pulp and seeds. Lutein was the major carotenoid (229  26 μg/100 g) found in the peel of “Mateus” cultivar followed by β-carotene with a content of 174  11 μg/100 g. The mean value found for α-tocopherol content in seeds was higher than 0.90 mg/100 g. This vitamin was quantified in all the fruit parts and the content increased in the following order: pulp<peel<seeds. Annona cherimola Mill. by-products (peel and seeds) can be potentially rich in bioactive compounds, especially lutein and α-tocopherol, indicating promising sources of high value natural extracts that can have potential to be used in the development of nutraceuticals or pharmaceuticals to benefit human health.engComposição dos AlimentosNutrição Aplicadaconference object