TITLE:
Determination of Major Carotenoids in Processed Tropical Leafy Vegetables Indigenous to Africa
AUTHORS:
Viviane Nkonga Djuikwo Djuikwo, Richard Aba Ejoh, Inocent Gouado, Carl Moses Mbofung, Sherry A. Tanumihardjo
KEYWORDS:
Carotenoids, Processing, Vegetables, Vitamin A Component
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.2 No.8,
October
17,
2011
ABSTRACT: Tropical leafy-vegetables (n = 21) indigenous to Cameroon, Africa, were collected, processed, and analyzed for carotenoids by HPLC. The processing techniques used were oven drying; sun-drying; squeeze-washing and boiling; and a combination of boiling in alkaline salt and squeeze-washing. Carotenoids included lutein, α-carotene, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, and β-carotene (all-trans, 13-cis, and 9-cis), which varied by species (P 40% of total carotenoids. Traditional preparation and processing procedures led to significant losses of carotenoids and β-carotene was most affected during sun-drying with a maximum of 73.8% loss observed in A. acanthochiton.