Stability of Carotenoids, Total Phenolics and In Vitro Antioxidant Capacity in the Thermal Processing of Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas Lam.) Cultivars Grown in Brazil

• Published in: Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht) Vol. 67; no. 3; pp. 262 - 270
• Main Authors: Donado-Pestana, Carlos M., Salgado, Jocelem Mastrodi, de Oliveira Rios, Alessandro, dos Santos, Priscila Robertina, Jablonski, André
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.09.2012; Springer
• Subjects: Antioxidants - analysis; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Benzothiazoles; Biological and medical sciences; Biphenyl Compounds - metabolism; Brazil; Carotenoids - analysis; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chemistry/Food Science; Diet; Ecology; Food Handling - methods; Food industries; Food Science; Fruit and vegetable industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hot Temperature; Humans; Ipomoea batatas - chemistry; Ipomoea batatas - classification; Nutrition; Original Paper; Phenols - analysis; Picrates - metabolism; Plant Physiology; Plant Roots - chemistry; Species Specificity; Sulfonic Acids - metabolism; Thiazoles - metabolism; Vitamin A - metabolism; Vitamin A Deficiency - prevention & control; South America; Brazil; America; Biofortification; Heat treatment; Bioactivity; Sweet potato; Functional food; Correlation; Vegetables; Citrus fruit; Vitamin; HPLC chromatography; Convolvulaceae; Orange; Plant part; Dicotyledones; Quality; Angiospermae; Pigments; Tuber; Flesh; Ipomoea batatas; Stability; Fruit; Root; Carotene; Use; Concentration; Flour; Antioxidant; In vitro; Health food; Decrease; Phenols; Spermatophyta; Carotenoid; Cultivar
• ISSN: 0921-9668; 1573-9104
• DOI: 10.1007/s11130-012-0298-9

Intervention strategies regarding the biofortification of orange-fleshed sweet potato, which is a rich source of carotenoids for combating vitamin A deficiency, are being developed in Brazil. This study was conducted to evaluate the concentrations of individual carotenoids, total phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity in the roots of four biofortified sweet potato cultivars that were raw or processed by four common heat treatments. HPLC, Folin-Ciocalteu, DPPH and ABTS assays were used. All cultivars showed high levels of carotenoids in raw roots, predominantly all- trans -β-carotene (79.1–128.5 mg.100 g −1 DW), suggesting a high estimated vitamin A activity. The CNPH 1194 cultivar reported carotenoids values highest than those of other cultivars ( p  < 0.05). The total phenolic compounds varied among cultivars and heat treatments (0.96–2.05 mg.g −1 DW). In most cases, the heat treatments resulted in a significant decrease in the carotenoids and phenolic compounds contents as well as antioxidant capacity. Processing of flour presented the greatest losses of major carotenoids and phenolics. The phenolic compounds showed more stability than carotenoids after processing. There were significant correlations between the carotenoids and phenolic compounds and the antioxidant capacity.