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C. E. SCOTT and A. L. Eldridge. Bell Institute of Health & Nutrition, General Mills, Inc., 9000 Plymouth Ave. N., Minneapolis, MN 55427 Epidemiological evidence has linked dietary carotenoid intakes with reduced risks of developing chronic diseases. Corn is known to contain significant amounts of carotenoids including lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that may be associated with reduced risks of eye diseases. Corn is available as fresh, frozen or canned however, the fate of carotenoids subsequent to commercial canning and freezing is not well known. The objective of this study was to analyze carotenoid content of fresh, commercially canned and frozen White Shoepeg (WS) and Golden Whole Kernel (GWK) corn from the same field. WS and GWK corn samples were harvested daily over a five day period and randomly selected for analysis as fresh, canned, or frozen. Each sample was analyzed for carotenoid content via HPLC coupled with photodiode array detection (PDA). Major carotenoids detected were lutein and zeaxanthin, and to a lesser extent, a-cryptoxanthin, b-cryptoxanthin, a-carotene, b-carotene, and cis b–carotene. Fresh GWK corn contained greater amounts of lutein, zeaxanthin and total carotenoids (3.30, 2.09 and 8.51 mg/g) vs. fresh WS corn (0.05, 0.29, and 0.45 mg/g). In canned WS and GWK corn, levels of lutein, zeaxanthin, were similar to fresh WS and GWK corn. There was a 30.2% increase (p <0.05) in total carotenoids in canned WS corn but not in GWK corn vs. their fresh counterparts. Detectable levels of total carotenoids in both GWK and WS corn were increased after freezing by 14.8% (p=0.003) and 108.7% (p=0.001), respectively. This work indicates that canning and freezing corn can increase carotenoid concentrations which can further influence bioavailability and health benefits.
Session 71, An update on antioxidants in fruits, vegetables and whole grains
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