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Storage stability of provitamin A carotenoids in Biofortified yellow maize
Author(s) -
Muzhingi Tawanda,
Tang Guangwen
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.38.8
Subject(s) - biofortification , carotenoid , provitamin , vitamin a deficiency , food science , vitamin , micronutrient , beta carotene , retinol , crop , human nutrition , biology , chemistry , zoology , horticulture , botany , agronomy , biochemistry , organic chemistry
Biofortification increases the micronutrient content of staple crops through plant breeding. Maize is a staple crop in Africa and Latin America where vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is also a public health problem. Provitamin A carotenoids such as α‐carotene (α‐C), β‐cryptoxanthin (β‐Cr) and β‐carotene (β‐C) in Biofortified Yellow Maize (BYM) may lead to a reduction in the prevalence of VAD. However, carotenoids degrade when exposed to excessive light, moisture, and heat. It is imperative to establish the extent of post‐harvest losses of carotenoids in BYM under simulated tropical storage conditions. BYM maize was stored for 4 months at I) ‐ 80°C in the freezer, II) 4°C in the fridge, III) 25°C + 50% humidity in an incubator and IV) 20°C at room conditions. The provitamin A carotenoid contents were determined at baseline and monthly for 4 months by HPLC with a C30 column. BYM β‐C content at baseline was 15.2 ±0.6 μg/g dry wgt. At endline the β‐C content loss was 18.6, 52.7, 73.9 and 79.5% for conditions I–IV. The α‐C content loss was 23.4, 35.0, 57.0 and 63.9% for conditions I–IV. For β‐Cr, the loss was 10.6, 30.1, 46.1 and 57.6 % for conditions IIV, respectively. The provitamin A carotenoid losses in BYM are >; 45% at temperatures >; 20°C. These losses should be addressed to retain the vitamin A value of BYM over long periods of storage under tropical conditions, in order to control VAD effectively. Grant Funding Source : USDA contract # 58–1950‐0–014