Loquat is a fruit with high market value cultivated in Southeast Brazil. Despite of this, there are little details about its quality characteristics. Fruits from five loquat cultivars, developed using genetic breeding, were analyzed to assess their compositional traits. The cultivars Centendria, Mizuho, Mizumo, Néctar de Cristal and Mizauto were selected based on their high productivity and resistance to diseases. Soluble sugars, organic acids, and carotenoids were quantified using liquid chromatography. The cultivar (cv.) with the highest total sugar concentration was Mizumo and the lowest concentration was found in Centendria. The main sugar detected was sucrose, and the malic acid was the major organic acid. Ascorbic acid was detected in small amounts. The total dietary fiber contents were almost the same in all cultivars. The major carotenoids detected were β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin, except for the cultivar Nectar de Cristal, a white pulp loquat. These results contribute to the knowledge about de physiology of loquat fruit, an interesting raw material due to its nutritional and sensorial characteristics. Furthermore, the results obtained could help to identify the most appropriate use of the loquats with different attributes either for consumption in natura or for industrial processing.302552559Amorós, A., Physico-chemical and physiological changes during fruit development and ripening of five loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) cultivars (2003) Food Science and Technology International, 9 (1), pp. 43-51Bartolome, A.P., Ruperez, P., Dietary fiber in pineapple fruit (1995) European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 49 (SUPPL. 3), pp. S261-S263(2004) Carotenoids - Handbook, , BRITTON, G.LIAAEN-JENSEN, S.PFANDER, H. (Eds.), Basel: Birkhauser, Compiled by A. Z. Mercadante e E. S. EgelandBrummell, D.A., Cell wall disassembly in ripening fruit (2006) Functional Plant Biology, 33 (2), pp. 103-119Czelusniak, C., Qualidade de maçãs comerciais produzidas no Brasil: Aspectos físico-químicos (2003) Brazilian Journal of Food Technology, 6 (1), pp. 25-31de Rosso, V.V., Mercadante, A.Z., Identification and quantification of carotenoids, by HPLC-PDA-MS/MS from Amazonian fruits (2007) Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 55 (13), pp. 5062-5072Ding, C.K., Effects of storage temperatures on physiology and quality of loquat fruit (1998) Postharvest Biology and Technology, 14 (3), pp. 309-315Ding, C.K., Modified atmosphere packaging maintains postharvest quality of loquat fruit (2002) Postharvest Biology and Technology, 24 (3), pp. 341-348Godoy, H., Amaya, D.B.R., Carotenoid composition and vitamin A value of Brazilian loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) (1995) Archivos Latinoamericanos De Nutricion, 45 (4), pp. 336-339Gross, J., Carotenoids of Eriobotrya japonica (1973) Phytochemistry, 12 (7), pp. 1775-1782Kon, M., Shimba, R., Cultivar difference on carotenoids in loquat fruits (1988) Nippon Shokuhin Kogyo Gakkaishi, 35 (6), pp. 423-429Ojima, M., (1999) Cultura da Nespereira, , Campinas: Instituto Agronomico. (Boletim técnico, 185)Paganini, C., Análise da aptidão industrial de seis cultivares de maçãs, considerando suas avaliações físico-químicas: Dados da safra 2001/2002 (2004) Ciência E Agrotecnologia, 28 (6), pp. 1336-1343Prosky, L., Determination of insoluble, soluble and total dietary fibre in food and foods products. Interlabolatory study (1988) Journal of The Association of Analitical Chemistry, 71 (5), pp. 1017-1023Seymour, J.T., Taylor, J., Tucker, G., (1993) Biochemistry of Fruit Ripening, , London: Chapman and HallSouci, S.W., Fachmann, W., Kraut, H., (1994) Food Composition and Nutrition Tables, , 5 ed.Stuttgart: Medpharm Scientific Publishers