## 3 Results and Discussion
### Carotenoids  
HPLC analysis revealed that carotenoids were predominantly esterified, as shown in Figure S3. After saponification, seven carotenoids were detected in all the samples, and five were identified, of which four belong to the xanthophyll group (Table 3). Their identification was based on the specific retention time and spectral absorption characteristics, followed by a comparison with the literature. The presence of lutein and zeaxanthin in the fruits is interesting from a health point of view, as these two compounds are known for their protective properties against eye and brain diseases [52].  
Due to the wide variety of esters present, it was not possible to provide precise individual quantifications of all the carotenoids detected using HPLC. The carotenoids listed in Table 3 were identified after saponification. As this reaction may result in losses, we opted to consider only the total carotenoid content for the quantitative determination, rather than each compound individually (Figure 7).  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline
**Peak** & **RT (min)** & **Identified Compounds** & \(\mathbf{\lambda_{\max}}\) **(nm)** & **\% III/II** \\ \hline
1 & 20.72 & Antheraxanthin & (422); 444; 472 & 58 \\
2 & 22.29 & Zeaxanthin & (426); 451; 476 & 23 \\
3 & 28.06 & \(\beta\)-Cryptoxanthin & (424); 452; 476 & 18 \\
4 & 32.05 & Lutein & (424); 446; 473 & 52 \\
5 & 34.67 & \(\beta\)-Carotene & (424); 452; 476 & 15 \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 3: Identification and spectral characteristics of the carotenoids found after saponification in the _A. Boehmii_ fruits (example of the AbHb22 sample).  
Figure 6: Anthocyanin and flavonol contents of the samples of loengo fruit (mean with \(n=3\)). Different letters for significant difference, according to the Tukey test \(p<0.05\).  
The fruits from the samples AbM22, AbHb22, and AbHa22 exhibited total carotenoid contents close to 24 mg eq. \(\beta\)-carotene\(\cdot\)100 g\({}^{-1}\) of DM. The fruits from Ab21 contained approximately 20% less. It was possible that this difference was linked to a longer storage period for the fruits harvested in 2021. The levels reported by [PERSON] et al. (2019) in the pulp of papaya varieties from the Abidjan markets, ranging from 0.19 to 0.24 mg\(\cdot\)100 g\({}^{-1}\) of DM, were significantly lower than in the present study. Again, studies conducted by [PERSON] et al. (2019) resulted in a significantly lower content of 1.5 mg\(\cdot\)100 g\({}^{-1}\) of DM in the yellow mombin fruit (_Spondias mombin_ L). However, the work by [PERSON] et al. (2019) on three mango varieties and one cultivar revealed slightly similar levels, ranging from 13.2 to 23.1 mg\(\cdot\)100 g\({}^{-1}\) of DM. As a result, the fruit's carotenoid content is interesting from a nutritional point of view. However, it would be necessary to complete this work by studying the bioavailability of these compounds, which can vary greatly depending on the pulp composition and the processing method chosen ([PERSON] et al., 2019). Carotenoids play an essential role in human health and nutrition. They can reduce the risk of cancer and coronary heart diseases. Moreover, some of them exhibited provitamin A activity (specifically \(\beta\)-carotene and \(\beta\)-cryptoxanthin).