The coffee diterpenes cafestol and kahweol raise serum cholesterol in humans. Each 10 mg of cafestol consumed per day elevates cholesterol by 5 mg/dL (0.13 mmol/L). Diterpene levels in various coffee brews were examined. Scandinavian boiled coffee contained (mean f SD) 3.0 f 2.8 mg, French press coffee 3.5 f 1.2 mg, and TurkisWGreek coffee 3.9 f 3.2 mg of cafestol per cup. Consumption of five cups per day of any of these coffee types could thus elevate serum cholesterol by 8-10 mgl dL. Italian espresso coffee contained 1.5 f 1.0 mg of cafestol per cup, five cups theoretically raising cholesterol by 4 mg/dL. Brewing time had little effect of diterpenes. Brewing strength increased diterpenes in boiled, French press, and espresso coffee but not in TurkisWGreek coffee. Diterpenes in instant, drip filtered, and percolated brews were negligible. Regular and decaffeinated coffees had similar diterpene contents. High chronic intake of French press coffee or TurkisldGreek coffee could increase serum cholesterol and thus coronary risk similar to that reported previously for Scandinavian boiled coffee.

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A sensitive and specific method is described for quantifying various cholesterol oxidation products in foodstuffs, including 7 beta-hydroxycholesterol, cholesterol-alpha-epoxide, cholestane-triol, 7-ketocholesterol and 25-hydroxycholesterol. A chloroform-methanol extract of the food was fractionated over two successive silica columns. Two fractions containing different classes of oxysterols were then analyzed as trimethylsilyl derivatives by capillary gas liquid chromatography, using on-column injection and a temperature gradient from 70 to 200 degrees C. The detection limit was about 0.5 microgram/g dry weight for egg yolk powder. Fresh egg yolk contained only 1.2 micrograms/g of total oxides per g dry weight, showing that artifactual oxidation during the procedure was minimal. Recovery of 5 pure oxysterols added to egg yolk at levels of 6.5 and 10 micrograms/g was between 93 and 102%. In commercial egg yolk and whole egg powder stored for one year, total amounts of oxysterols ranging from 21 to 137 micrograms/g dry weight were found. In duplicates of mixed Dutch diets, total amounts ranged from 3.6 to 6.2 micrograms/g dry weight. Duplicates containing mostly fried and baked foods did not have higher levels than duplicates in which foods had been prepared by boiling or left raw. We conclude that a normal mixed diet provides only minor amounts of cholesterol oxidation products.

Provitamin A carotenoids were measured using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography method in a number of selected leafy vegetables of different maturity and origin, sweet potatoes, and mangos from Indonesia. Mean provitamin A content per 100 g of edible portion was 492 retinol equivalents (RE) for water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica; n = 8), 640 RE for spinach (Amaranthus viridis; n = 8), 1776 RE for cassava leaves (Manihot utulissima; n = 8), 992 RE for papaya leaves (Carica papaya; n = 9), 1889 RE for sweet shoot leaves (Sauropus androgynus; n = 4), 289 RE for jointfir spinach (Gnetum gemon; n = 2), 6 RE for sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas; n = 22), and 250 RE for mango (Mangifera indica; n = 11). Provitamin A content was significantly higher in dark green (mature) leaves (24% on average) than in young leaves. Leafy vegetables collected on the market had significantly lower levels of provitamin A compared to those of field samples (19% on average). Provitamin A content for most, but not all, vegetables was lower than values reported in Indonesian food tables. Keywords: Carotenoids; vegetables; maturity; Indonesia; provitamin A; validation; high-performance liquid chromatography