Carotenoid composition and vitamin A value of some native Brazilian green leafy vegetables

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Summary: The composition of carotenoids in five native Brazilian leafy vegetables was determined. The ranges of total carotenoid contents of Amaranthus viridis, Lepidium pseudodidymum, Xanthosoma spp., Sonchus oleraceus, and Portulaca oleracea were 347–468, 237–280, 225–361, 149–334 and 71–109 μg g−1, with lutein and β‐carotene predominating. The mean β‐carotene contents (μg−1) and vitamin A values (retinol equivalents REg−1) were 110 and 18.4, 84.6 and 14.1, 67.3 and 11.2, 62.9 and 10.5, 29.8 and 4.99, respectively. The leaves contained 54–61% of lutein plus violaxanthin, 24–34% of β‐carotene, 10–14% of neoxanthin and traces of zeaxanthin and α‐crypto‐xanthin. The native leafy vegetables were richer sources of provitamin A than the cultivated leafy vegetables analysed previously, justifying their commercial production.