Investigating the Changes in β-Carotene concentrations of Carrot and Sweet Corn Using Different Methods of Heat Treatments

Carotenoids are red, orange and yellow pigments, which are widely distributed in fruit and vegetables. The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of conventional, high pressure and microwave cooking on the concentrations of β-carotene in carrot and sweet corn. Raw carrots were washed, peeled and diced to a uniform size and then frozen at -70°C. Sweet corn was also provided in a similar ready to serve condition and stored at -70°C. β-carotene contents in the vegetables were quantified after extraction and injection onto the High Performance Liquid Chromatography column and measured on the UV-Visible detector. The results indicated the conventional cooking of carrots and microwave cooking of corn for 10 minutes were taken as the ideal cooking procedure to retain this vital important micronutrient. Also microwave cooking for 20 minutes had the highest loss of β-carotene in both carrot (53.76%) and corn (83.03%) as compared to other methods of cooking.