The Β-Carotene Level Increases During Stir Frying And Decreases During Boiling Of Carrot: An Experimental Case Study

Abstract

Aim: Vitamin A is essential for normal growth, reproduction, and proper function of the immune system
with great antioxidant activity. The β-carotene is the most active and abundant precursor for vitamin A
among the members of carotenoid family in carrot. Hence, the aim of the study was to estimate the βcarotene content in different forms of carrots (raw, boiled and fried) to find out which form of carrot
would be most valuable for dietary intake with respect to the level of β-carotene. Material and Method:
The raw, boiled and fried forms of carrot in equal amount (2g) were then subjected to solvent extraction
using solvent hexane. The β-carotene levels in all these 3 samples were estimated from the absorbance
values obtained from colorimetric reading. The experiment was done in triplicates to validate the levels.
Results and Conclusion: The mean β-carotene concentrations in raw, boiled and fried carrots showed
significant difference. There was a significant (P≤0.05) increase in the amount of β-carotene content in
fried carrots when compared with raw carrots, whereas a significant decrease (P≤0.05) was observed in
boiled carrots. We conclude from our study results that the boiling process leads to heat disruption of βcarotene, whereas the oil fry enhanced the extraction release of β-caro