A Study on Contents of Beta-Carotene in Local Agricultural Products

Beta-carotene is the most prominent member of the group of carotenoids, natural colorants that occur in the human diet. Beta-carotene is also an effective source of vitamin A in both conventional foods and vitamin supplements, and it's generally safe. In this study, we explored the beta-carotene contents in agricultural products widely and specifically grown in Korea. The beta-carotene contents were ranging from 223 to $27,908{\mu}g/100g$ in leaves, and 0 to $7,588{\mu}g/100g$ in vegetables. In leaves and vegetables, the amount of beta-carotene was the highest in green tea powder ($27,908{\mu}g/100g$), followed by pepper ($7,588{\mu}g/100g$). In fruits, the beta-carotene content was found to range from $0{\mu}g/1,011g$ to maximum of $293.66{\mu}g/100g$(plumcot). However, there beta-carotene was not detected in strawberry. In the case of cereals and specialty crops, the beta-carotene contents were $326{\mu}g/100g$ for non-glutinous rice, $313{\mu}g/100g$ for glutinous rice, $57{\mu}g/100g$ for amaranth and $15{\mu}g/100g$ for pine nut, respectively. However, the beta-carotene content was not detected in other samples. This study revealed the presence of beta-carotene content in agricultural products specifically grown in Korea for nutritional information and food composition database.

지역 농특산물의 베타카로틴 함량 조사