Carotene content of some common and less familiar foods of plant origin

A number of commonly consumed plant foods including green leafy vegetables, roots and tubers, other vegetables and fruits were analysed for their total carotenes spectrophotometrically and by separation of provitamin A carotenoids on HPLC. β-Carotene is the predominant carotenoid in all foods. Green leafy vegetables (GLV) were found to be the best source of provitamin A, and also yellow fruits such as mango and papaya. Carrot contains significant amounts of α-carotene while, in papaya, β-cryptoxanthin is the predominant carotenoid. Incorporation of these vegetables in the diets of the children would be the most effective approach to combat vitamin A deficiency. A few lesser-known GLV were also analysed. Among them, chennangiaku and botla benda appeared to be good sources of β-carotene. Organised cultivation of these vegetables and fruits would help in overcoming the problem of vitamin A deficiency.