Carotenoid content and in vitro bioaccessibility of lutein in some leafy vegetables popular in Sri Lanka.

Lutein is one of the major carotenoids in green leafy vegetables (GLVs), which show a marked antioxidant activity. The study was carried out to identify and quantify the carotenoid content of selected Sri Lankan GLVs. RP-HPLC with photodiode array detection method was followed for the separation, identification and quantification of carotenoids. Among the vegetables analyzed, Ipomoea batatas leaves showed the highest beta-carotene content (743.9+/-35.0 microg/g dry weight (DW)) while Syngonium angustatum leaves contained the highest amount of lutein (1,728.2+/-168.3 microg/g DW). Percentage in vitro bioaccessibility of lutein from cooked GLVs ranged from 10.1 to 48.0% in stir-fried preparations of Centella asiatica and Cucurbita maxima, respectively. Hence these GLVs can be exploited as a rich source of beta-carotene and lutein to overcome vitamin A deficiency and age-related macular degeneration.