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