RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Over the last decade, considerable efforts have been made to identify cassava cultivars to improve the vitamin A nutritional status of undernourished populations, especially in northeast Brazil, where cassava is one of the principal and essentially only nutritional source. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the total carotenoid, ß-carotene, and its all-E-, 9-, and 13-Z-ß-carotene isomers content in seven yellow sweet cassava roots and their retention after three boiling cooking methods. DESIGN: The total carotenoid, ß-carotene, and its all-E-, 9-, and 13-Z-ß-carotene isomers in yellow sweet cassava samples were determined by ultraviolet/visible spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively, before and after applying the cooking methods. All analyses were performed in triplicate. RESULTS: The total carotenoid in raw roots varied from 2.64 to 14.15 µg/g and total ß-carotene from 1.99 to 10.32 µg/g. The ß-carotene predominated in all the roots. The Híbrido 2003 14 08 cultivar presented the highest ß-carotene content after cooking methods 1 and 3. The 1153 - Klainasik cultivar presented the highest 9-Z-ß-carotene content after cooking by method 3. The highest total carotenoid retention was observed in cultivar 1456 - Vermelhinha and that of ß-carotene for the Híbrido 2003 14 11 cultivar, both after cooking method 1. Evaluating the real retention percentage (RR%) in sweet yellow cassava after home cooking methods showed differences that can be attributed to the total initial carotenoid contents. However, no cooking method uniformly provided a higher total carotenoid or ß-carotene retention in all the cultivars. CONCLUSION: Differences were found in the cooking methods among the samples regarding total carotenoid or ß-carotene retention, suggesting that the different behaviors of the cultivars need to be further analyzed. However, high percentages of total carotenoid or ß-carotene retention were observed and can minimize vitamin A deficiency in low-income populations.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), iron, iodine, and Vitamin A deficiencies are the most common forms of malnutrition, leading to severe public health consequences. The importance of iron and zinc in human nutrition and the number of children found to be deficient in these nutrients make further studies on retention in cooked grains and cooked bean broth important. OBJECTIVES: This work aimed to evaluate iron and zinc retention in six common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars under the following conditions: raw beans, regular pot cooking, pressure cooking, with and without previous water soaking, and broth. DESIGN: Determination of iron and zinc content in the raw, cooked bean grains and broth samples was carried out by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Optical Emission Spectrometry (Spectro Analytical Instrument - Spectroflame P). All experiments and analyses were carried out in triplicate. RESULTS: Overall, regardless of the cooking method, with or without previous water soaking, the highest zinc concentration was found in the cooked bean grains. However, pressure cooking and previous water soaking diminished iron retention in the cooked grains, while increasing it in the bean broth. CONCLUSION: The common bean was confirmed to be an excellent source of iron and zinc for human consumption, and it was suggested that beans should be consumed in a combined form, i.e. grain with bean broth.
