external standards [BC, Chl a , Chl b , LUT, neoxanthin (NEO), violaxanthin (VIO), zeaxanthin (ZEA) from ChromaDex Inc., Irvine, CA]. Soluble sugar analysis. Tomato fruit samples were ground in a bullet grinder (Homeland Houseware, LLC) for homogenous
carotenoids found in plants, beta-carotene is an important precursor to vitamin A, and lutein, and zeaxanthin are the two principal pigments in the macular region of the retina. An extensive survey of winter squash cultivars and breeding lines was conducted to
pigment zeaxanthin, and consequently sustained thermal dissipation of the absorbed light (which corresponds to lower Φ PSII ), in response to chronic stresses such as excess light and cold ( Demmig-Adams and Adams, 2006 ; Demmig-Adams et al., 2012 ). Fig
over 600 naturally occurring carotenoids, only an estimated 24–40 of these are regularly consumed in the human diet ( Bendich, 1993 ; Hughes, 1999 ). In plants, the primary carotenoids synthesized include lutein (LUT), zeaxanthin (ZEA), antheraxanthin
, beta-carotene, and chlorophyll concentrations among Brassica oleracea cultigens and seasons HortScience 39 361 364 Landrum, J.T. Bone, R.A. 2001 Lutein, zeaxanthin, and the macular pigment Arch. Biochem
such as β-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin and their potential health benefits were well documented ( Pryor et al., 2000) . Momordicin, a triterpenoid, is reported to possess insulin-like activity ( Saxena and Vikram, 2004 ). It is noteworthy that
on pH conditions ( Babourina et al., 2002 ). Xanthophyll carotenoid pigments, specifically zeaxanthin (ZEA), can modulate blue light-dependent responses in plants ( Tlałka et al., 1999 ). Moreover, ZEA is believed to be an important photoreceptor for
salt tolerance in land plants Func. Plant Biol. 37 604 612 Hoagland, D.R. Arnon, D.I. 1950 The water-culture method for growing plants without soil. Cali. Agri. Exp. Station Circ. 247. Humphries, J.M. Khachik, F. 2003 Distribution of lutein, zeaxanthin
.M. Khachik, F. 2003 Distribution of lutein, zeaxanthin, and related geometrical isomers in fruit, vegetables, wheat, and pasta products J. Agr. Food Chem. 51 1322 1327 Kauffman, G.L. III Kneival, D.P. Watschke, T.L. 2007 Effects of biostimulant on the heat
stolonifera L.), levels of β-carotene decreased with no change in lutein as irradiance increased. However, other carotenoids (zeaxanthin, antheraxanthin, and violaxanthin) increased in response to increased irradiance, which may be potentially attributable to