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Effect of home processing on ascorbic acid and β-carotene content of spinach (Spinacia oleracia) and amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor) leaves

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition volume 47, pages 125–131 (1995)Cite this article

Abstract

The present investigation was conducted to study the concentration of ascorbic acid and β-carotene in spinach and amaranth leaves as affected by various domestic processing and cooking methods which included storage of leaves in polythene bags or without packing for 24 and 48 hours in refrigerator at 5 °C; at 30 °C in polythene bags; drying (sun and oven); blanching (5, 10, 15 min); open pan and pressure cooking. Ascorbic acid content of fresh leaves was 624.1 to 629.0 mg and β-carotene content was 35.3 to 53.1 mg/100 g dry weight. The percent loss of ascorbic acid ranged from 1.1 to 6.3 and 55.3 to 65.9 while lower losses (0.0 to 1.3 and 1.5 to 2.1) of β-carotene were observed in leaves stored in refrigerator and at 30 °C, respectively. A markedly greater reduction in ascorbic acid and β-carotene was observed in dried, blanched and cooked leaves. The study recommended the storage of leaves in refrigerator, drying in oven, blanching for shorter time and cooking in pressure cooker for better retention of these two vitamins.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Foods and Nutrition, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, 125004, Hisar, India

    Shashi Kala Yadav & Salil Sehgal

Authors
  1. Shashi Kala Yadav
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  2. Salil Sehgal
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Yadav, S.K., Sehgal, S. Effect of home processing on ascorbic acid and β-carotene content of spinach (Spinacia oleracia) and amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor) leaves. Plant Food Hum Nutr 47, 125–131 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01089261

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01089261

Key words

  • Amaranth
  • Ascorbic acid
  • β-carotene
  • Blanching
  • Spinach