Analytical instrumentation for the qualitative and quantitative determination of carotenoids and flavonoids in tropical fruit

The growing global interest in tropical fruits stems from their unique flavors and rich content of health-promoting compounds, especially carotenoids and flavonoids. These bioactive metabolites offer antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties, positioning tropical fruits as valuable functional foods. This review critically examines 140 studies published between 2002 and 2025, comparing the performance of chromatographic, spectroscopic, and emerging green methodologies for metabolite extraction and detection. The analysis reveals that C30-HPLC remains the most robust option for resolving carotenoid isomers, while UHPLC-MS/MS provides superior sensitivity for flavonoid profiling in complex matrices. Green extraction strategies such as UAE, MAE, SFE and subcritical water extraction demonstrate significant gains in efficiency, although standardization remains limited. Across studies, inadequate reporting of chromatographic parameters and lack of method validation were recurrent methodological weaknesses. Overall, this review shows that no single technique is universally optimal; instead, analytical performance depends strongly on metabolite class, matrix complexity, and the balance between sensitivity, sustainability, and analytical cost. This critical synthesis provides guidelines to support method selection tailored to tropical fruit metabolomics. • HPLC-C30 improves carotenoid resolution; UHPLC-C18 is fast and efficient. • Novel extraction methods reduce solvents, time, and improve flavonoid recovery. • Appropriate method varies with target metabolites, matrix, and research goals. • Integrated omics and bioinformatics enhance advanced analytical methodologies.