Introduction. Different cultivars of lychee are produced all around the
world and to date no information has been published on the nutritional value of
cv. Tailandes, which is a new lychee cultivar introduced into Brazil and other tropical
countries. Our study performed a pioneering evaluation of the physical and chemical
characteristics, carotenoids, vitamins, and minerals in pulp of fruit of this cultivar.
Materials and methods. Titratable acidity was determined by volumetric
neutralization, pH by potentiometry, soluble solids by refractometry, moisture by
gravimetry after oven drying, ash by calcination in a muffle furnace, proteins by the
micro-Kjeldahl method, dietary fibers by the gravimetric non-enzymatic method and lipids
by gravimetry after extraction in ethyl ether. Vitamin C (ascorbic and dehydroascorbic
acids) and carotenoids (a-carotene, b-carotene, b-cryptoxanthin and lycopene) were
analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detection,
vitamin E (a-, b-, g- and d-tocopherols and tocotrienols) was analyzed by HPLC with
fluorescence detection, and fourteen minerals were analyzed by atomic absorption
spectrometry in inductively coupled plasma. Results and discussion. The
lychee cv. Tailandes showed high pulp yield (59.0%), moisture (80.7 mg×100 g–1) and
dietary fiber (2.2 g×100 g–1), and a low total energy value (70.2 kcal×100 g–1). It
presented no carotenoids, but was an excellent source of vitamin C (34.7 mg×100 g–1). The
total vitamin E content was 117.0 g×100 g–1. Pulp of lychee cv. Tailandes was shown to be
a source of iron (0.86 mg×100 g–1) and magnesium (12.90 mg×100 g–1), a good source of
copper (0.12 mg×100 g–1) and an excellent source of potassium (1067.33 mg×100 g–1).
Conclusion. The lychee cv. Tailandes showed high pulp yield and low total
energy. The pulp is a source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, iron, magnesium, copper and
potassium.