Characterisation of carotenoid content in diverse local sweet potato (ipomoea batatas) flesh tubers

Abstract

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is one of the most important food crops in the world. Sweet potato is rich with carotenoids and pro-vitamin A. Carotenoids compounds are commonly found in fruits and vegetables and are responsible for yellow, orange, and red pigmentations. Carotenoids are antioxidants compounds with pharmaceutical and medicinal benefits. Carotenoids such as α-carotene and β-carotene react as provitamin A in the human body, while lutein and zeaxanthin are two major components of the macular pigment of the retina. Objective: The objective of this study is to verify the high nutritional value of Malaysian sweet potatoes varieties by identifying and comparing their carotenoids content. Methods: Spectrophotometry and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis were used to identifying and comparing carotenoids content quantitatively and qualitatively in orange, yellow, purple and white Malaysian sweet potatoes flesh tuber. Results: The results of this study showed that the highest total carotenoid content was in orange sweet potato followed by yellow, purple and white sweet potato. β-carotene was available in all types of sweet potato ranging from 91.95±2.05 μg/g DW in white sweet potato to 376.03±11.05 μg/g DW in orange sweet potato. Detectable levels of zeaxanthin were appeared with values 5.44±3.23 μg/g DW and 20.47±2.03 μg/g DW in yellow and white sweet potato, respectively. Lutein was available only in orange sweet potato at trace amount of 0.91±1.03 μg/g DW. Purple sweet potato contains only β-carotene (113.86±14.17 μg/g DW) with absence of other carotenoids. Conclusion: Total and individual carotenoids content vary between the flesh of these local sweet potato varieties. The results from this study can festoon the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries markedly.

Full text

CHARACTERISATION OF CAROTENOID CONTENT IN DIVERSE LOCAL SWEET POTATO
(IPOMOEA BATATAS) FLESH TUBERS
Original Article
SUHAIR KAMMONA1, RASHIDI OTHMAN2*, IRWANDI JASWIR1, PARVEEN JAMAL1
1Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Kulliyyah of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jalan Gombak 53100,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART), Herbarium Unit, Department of Landscape
Architecture, Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Email: rashidi@iium.edu.my
Received: 24 Oct 2014 Revised and Accepted: 18 Nov 2014
ABSTRACT
Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is one of the most important food crops in the world. Sweet potato is rich with carotenoids and pro-vitamin A.
Carotenoids compounds are commonly found in fruits and vegetables and are responsible for yellow, orange, and red pigmentations. Carotenoids
are antioxidants compounds with pharmaceutical and medicinal benefits. Carotenoids such as α-carotene and β-carotene react as provitamin A in
the human body, while lutein and zeaxanthin are two major components of the macular pigment of the retina.
Objective: The objective of this study is to verify the high nutritional value of Malaysian sweet potatoes varieties by identifying and comparing their
carotenoids content.
Methods: Spectrophotometry and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis were used to identifying and comparing carotenoids
content quantitatively and qualitatively in orange, yellow, purple and white Malaysian sweet potatoes flesh tuber.
Results: The results of this study showed that the highest total carotenoid content was in orange sweet potato followed by yellow, purple and white
sweet potato. β-carotene was available in all types of sweet potato ranging from 91.95±2.05 μg/g DW in white sweet potato to 376.03±11.05 μg/g
DW in orange sweet potato. Detectable levels of zeaxanthin were appeared with values 5.44±3.23 μg/g DW and 20.47±2.03 μg/g DW in yellow and
white sweet potato, respectively. Lutein was available only in orange sweet potato at trace amount of 0.91±1.03 μg/g DW. Purple sweet potato
contains only β-carotene (113.86±14.17 μg/g DW) with absence of other carotenoids.
Conclusion: Total and individual carotenoids content vary between the flesh of these local sweet potato varieties. The results from this study can
festoon the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries markedly.
Keywords: Sweet potato, α-carotene, β-carotene, Lutein, Zeaxanthin.
INTRODUCTION
Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is one of the most important tuber
crops for fresh consumption in Malaysia; it is cheap and commonly
available throughout the year [1]. The sweet potato of the
convolvulaceae family is a tuberous plant that grows in tropical and
subtropical areas. Native from Latin America [2, 3], sweet potato is
ranked the fifth among the world most important food crops, with
more than 133 million tones of annual production [4]. Sweet potato
tuber flesh can be either white, cream, yellow, orange, or purple [4,
5] but the most commonly grown and eaten are orange, white, and
cream [6]. Sweet potatoes are an important staple crop in parts of
Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, [4, 5]. Sweet potato roots have
remarkable pro-vitamin A quantities and they are one of the major
food sources of carotenoids [7, 4].
Carotenoids in plants, are the natural organic molecules with diverse
and important biological actions an functions. Carotenoids
participate in the process of photosynthesis as accessory pigments
and also in protecting chlorophylls from photo damage. Many
carotenoids are provitamin A-active, others act as antioxidants, and
several have been associated with the prevention of cancer and
other chronic diseases. Fruits and vegetables are an important
source of carotenoids for the human diet; they provide about 70-
90% of consumed carotenoids [8]. Carotenoids are antioxidants with
pharmaceutical potential and have attracted the interest of
researchers from diverse fields including biochemistry, biology, food
science and technology, medicine, pharmacy and nutrition for more
than a century. Carotenoids are widely distributed natural pigments
responsible for the yellow, orange, and red colors of fruits, roots,
flowers, fish, invertebrates, and birds [9, 10]. The major carotenoids
important to humans are α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene, lutein,
zeaxanthin and β-cryptoxanthin [11, 12]. About 50 carotenoids are
known to have a provitamin A activity [14] and they can be grouped
into carotenes (non-polar) and xanthophylls (polar) [9, 13]. These
compounds have biological properties of interest for humans, and
pharmacological or nutritional properties. Carotenoids in particular,
likewise vitamin C, vitamin E or polyphenols, have antioxidant
properties [15, 16, 17]. Ingested with food, these compounds
strengthen our natural defence against oxidative stress and thus
prevent various chronic diseases such as cancer as well as
cardiovascular diseases [18, 19]. Since they cannot be synthesized
by human body, these pigments have to be supplemented through
dietary intake [20].
In Malaysia, sweet potato is popular among local consumers, but
there is an urgent need to determine their nutritional value and
study their pharmacological properties. The aim of present study is
to assess carotenoids content in local sweet potato to identify their
potential utility for the pharmaceutical industry or other related
industries.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Sample preparation
Sweet potato samples were bought from local markets. Samples
were hand-peeled, cut to reduce the size, freeze-dried (EYELA FDU-
1100, Japan) for 72 hours, then the samples were ground into fine
powder and kept at -20°C until further analysis. Fig. 1 shows the four
types of sweet potato analyzed in the current study.
Extraction of carotenoids
The extraction procedure essentially follows the methods described
by Othman [21], with some modification. 1.0 g of each powdered
freeze-dried sample was weighed and rehydrated with 3 mL of
distilled water, then extracted in 25 mL of acetone and methanol
mixture (7:3) containing calcium carbonate. The samples were
International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
ISSN- 0975-1491 Vol 7, Issue 2, 2015
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Int J Pharm Pharm Sci, Vol 7, Issue 2, 347-351
348
mixed well and left overnight in darkness at room temperature. The
following day, each sample was vortexed and centrifuged for 2
minutes at 13500 g (Thermo Scientific, Sorvall Biofuge Primo R,
Germany) and the supernatant was collected and transferred to a
foil covered 50 mL centrifuge tube.
Fig. 1: Types of Malaysian sweet potato tuber with different
flesh colours, A-Orange Flesh, B-Yellow Flesh, C-Purple Flesh, D-
White Flesh
The extraction procedure for every sample was repeated until the
supernatant or the tissue is colourless. The pooled supernatant were
centrifuged to remove fine particles and then stored at -20 ºC in the
dark prior to analysis. Then, equal volume of hexane and distilled
water were added to the combined supernatants. The mixture was
then allowed to separate under centrifugal force and the upper
hexane layer was collected. The combined upper phase then dried
completely under a gentle stream of oxygen-free nitrogen.
Determination of total carotenoid content
Total carotenoid concentration of all sweet potato extracts were
determined by spectrophotometry according to the method described
by Othman and Lewis [21, 22]. The dried carotenoid was resuspended in
300 μL of ethyl acetate for determination of total carotenoid content. 50
μL of the redissolved sample was then diluted with 950 μL chloroform
for spectrophotometric analysis. The carotenoid-containing solutions
were measured at three different wavelengths λ; 480 nm, 648 nm and
666 nm using Varian Cary 50 UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The Wellburn
Equation [23] in chloroform was applied to obtain the total carotenoid
content as described below:
Ca= 10.91A666 - 1.2A648 (1)
Cb= 16.36A648 – 4.57A666 (2)
Cx+c = (1000A480 – 1.42Ca – 46.09Cb)/202 (μg/ml) (3)
Ca= concentration of carotenoid at 666 nm, Cb= concentration of
carotenoid at 648 nm and Cx+c = total carotenoid concentration at
480 nm.
HPLC analysis
The HPLC analysis of carotenoids extracted from sweet potato was
performed on an Agilent model 1100 series comprised of a binary
pump with auto-sampler injector, micro vacuum degassers,
thermostatted column compartment and a diode array detector
according to Othman and Morris [21, 24]. The column used was a
ZORBAX SB-C18 end capped 5μm, 4.6x250 mm reverse phase column
(Agilent Technologies, USA). The solvents used were (A) acetonitrile:
water (9:1 v/v) and (B) ethyl acetate. The solvent gradient used are
as follows: 0-40% solvent B (0-20 min), 40-60% solvent B (20-25
min), 60-100% solvent B (25-25.1 min), 100% solvent B (25.1-35
min) and 100-0% solvent B (35-35.1 min) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL
min-1. The column was allowed to re-equilibrate in 100% solvent A
for 10 min prior to the next injection.
The temperature of the column was maintained at 20oC. The injection
volume was 10 μL. Carotenoid standards of α-carotene, β-carotene,
lutein and zeaxanthin were obtained from Sigma-Aldrich. Calibration
curves were used to calculate the concentration of the respective
carotenoids in experimental samples as described by Othman [21].
Detection of individual carotenoids was confirmed by their spectral
characteristics, absorption maximum and retention time as described by
Zaifuddin [25]. Compounds were identified by co-chromatography with
standards and by elucidation of their spectral characteristics using a
photo-diode array detector. Detection for carotenoid peaks were in the
range of 350 to 550 nm. Individual carotenoid concentrations were
calculated by comparing their relative proportions, as reflected by
integrated HPLC peak areas, to total carotenoid content determined by
spectrophotometry. The total and individual carotenoid concentration
would be expressed in terms of microgram per 1.0 g dry weight of
freeze-dried matter (μg/g DW).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Analysis of total and individual carotenoid content
Malaysian sweet potato flesh tubers ranging from orange,
yellow, purple and white were selected for this study as shown
in table 1 and fig. 1. These four types of different flesh colour
exhibited highly significant differences in total and individual
carotenoid content (P < 0.0001). Results revealed that the
highest total carotenoid content was observed in the orange-
fleshed sweet potato (389.22±2.18 µg/g DW) and followed by
yellow-fleshed (138.96±7.54 µg/g DW). Purple and white fleshed
accumulated almost the same amount at 116.28±1.80 µg/g DW
and 115.18±5.71 µg/g DW respectively. There was strong
relationship between total carotenoid content and the colour
intensity of sweet potato tuber flesh. These results are in
agreement with the previous reports where orange sweet potato
cultivars were found richer in carotenoids and vitamin A value
than yellow, cream and white sweet potato [26, 27].
Table 1: Total and individual carotenoid content (μg/g DW) in malaysian orange, yellow, purple and white sweet potato flesh tubers
Flesh
colour
Lutein
(µg/g DW)
Zeaxanthin
(µg/g DW)
α-Carotene
(µg/g DW)
β-Carotene
(µg/g DW)
Total carotenoid
(µg/g DW)
Orange
0.91±1.03
ND
16.16±0.02
365.03±11.05
389.22±2.18
Yellow
ND
5.44±3.23
8.61±1.98
117.00±3.12
138.96±7.54
Purple
ND
ND
ND
113.86±14.17
116.28±1.80
White
ND
20.47±2.03
3.3±1.32
90.95±2.05
115.18±5.71
ND: Not Detected, significantly different at p<0.0001
The next step in this analysis was to determine whether colour
pigmentation of sweet potato tuber flesh is associated with specific
carotenoid compounds. HPLC analysis of individual carotenoid
pigments detected at least four types of carotenoid peaks: lutein,
zeaxanthin, α-carotene and β-carotene. As shown in table 1, lutein
was detected only in orange flesh, zeaxanthin was highest in white
flesh but absent in orange and purple flesh whereas α-carotene and
β-carotene were detected in their highest levels both in orange-
fleshed. Purple flesh was found to have only β-carotene however the
other three were detected with at least three individual compounds.
Interestingly it is noted that distribution of all individual carotenoid
pigments for each group of sweet potato flesh colour were not
similar even though predominated by α-carotene and β-carotene
and that is confirmed by previous studies findings [30, 31, 32, 33,
34]. According to Aurelie [13], carotenoid content differs depending
on the extraction method, the drying method and environmental
factors. Climate temperature influence the carotenoid content in
fruits, where elevated tropical climates accommodate the carotenoid
biosynthesis, with fruits produced in this type of climates normally
contains higher carotenoids concentrations [28, 29]. In general,

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deep-colored vegetables and fruits are known to be good sources of
carotenoids [35-38].
Fig. 2 showed HPLC chromatograms of carotenoids in orange,
yellow, purple and white sweet potato flesh and their spectral
characteristics. Most of the carotenoid compounds absorb maximally
at three different wavelengths, resulting in three-peak spectra. The
greater the number of conjugated double bonds, the higher the λmax
values [31]. The retention time and the spectral characteristic can be
used for individual carotenoid confirmation and each sweet potato
sample detected by HPLC was compared to the previous study
reported by Norshazila [31]. The retention time for individual
carotenoids in sweet potato was; lutein at 10.669 minutes,
zeaxanthin at 14.717 minutes, α–carotene at 28.810 minutes and β-
carotene at 29.194 minutes.
Retinol equivalent (RE) value
To express the vitamin A activities of α-carotene and β-carotene
carotenoids in diets on a common basis, FAO [39] introduced the
concept of retinol equivalent (RE) and established a following
relationship among food sources of vitamin A, where 1 RE = l μg of
retinol = 6 g of β-carotene or 12 μg of α-carotene. From this study,
the pro-vitamin A in sweet potato samples include α–carotene and
β–carotene will be converted enzymatically to retinol in the
intestinal mucosa [40]. table 2 presents the RE values in different
types of sweet potato of this study.
Table 2: Total retinol equivalent (RE) activity in four different types of sweet potato flesh.
Flesh colour
Orange
Yellow
Purple
White
Total re
60.84
19.5
18.98
15.16
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
Fig. 2: HPLC chromatograms and retention time of individual carotenoids in different types of sweet potato flesh, A-Orange, B-Yellow, C-
Purple, D-White

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RE for orange sweet potato in the current study were higher than RE
that was reported in the previous study by Scotta [40], suggesting
that Malaysian sweet potatoes are an excellent source of provitamin
A. The recommendation vitamin A intake for children is 375-500
μg/day whereas for adults is 500-600 μg/day as reported in
previous studies [31, 41, 42]. From the present study, the RE value
that can be obtained from 1g DW sweet potato is ranged from 15.16
μg RE to 60.84 μg of RE. It was found that around 6 g DW of orange
sweet potato or 25 g DW of other types of sweet potato can provide
appropriate and sufficient quantity of vitamin A in the daily food.
These results revealed that carotenoids from orange-fleshed sweet
potato are highly vitamin A active and in agreement with Jalal [43].
The carotenoid composition of different Malaysian sweet potato
flesh tubers showed significant differences in their qualitative and
quantitative distribution which in consistent with the results
reported by others [44-47]. Moreover, due to the natural variation in
carotenoid composition, data obtained in sweet potato cultivars in
Malaysia may not be relevant to sweet potatoes from other countries
[48]. Total and individual carotenoid concentrations in sweet potato
are influenced by many factors such as temperature of the location,
fertilizer used, type of soil, exposure to sunlight, amount of rainfall
and post-harvest handling. Tropical climate elevate carotenoid
biosynthesis, therefore, it is normal that Malaysian fruits and
vegetables contain higher carotenoids concentrations [29].
CONCLUSION
This study provided new information on total and individual
carotenoids composition in the most popular, available and cheapest
variety of Malaysian sweet potato and quantified their nutritional
values and their importance to overcome and combat the Vitamin A
Deficiencies (VAD). Due to their bright color, non poisonous nature,
rich nutrition, safe and health care function, carotenoids from local
sweet potato are recommended for applications in pharmaceutical,
food and cosmetic industries locally and globally. Since there are
many factors influence carotenoid content in plants such as post-
harvest handling, locality, variety, season, temperature and storage,
therefore, more study need to be done to identify the key factors that
influence the total and individual carotenoid in local sweet potato in
order to enhance their productivity and nutritional quality.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to thanks Ministry of Higher Education
(MOHE) and International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) for the
Research Grant RACE14-001-0007 and MIRGS13-01-002-0004.
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
Declared None
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