Fortification of sunflower and palm oils using beta carotene extracted from Asystasia mysorensis and Solanum nigrum

Abstract

In Kenya, indigenous vegetables such as Solanum nigrum (S. nigrum) and Asystasia mysorensis (A. mysorensis) are locally available but grossly underutilized. While the vegetables are a rich source of beta carotene (BC), a provitamin A carotenoid essential for mitigating vitamin A deficiency, they are highly perishable. Extractable BC quickly degrades in the presence of oxygen, light, and heat and therefore cannot be stored by itself. To address this antagonism, BC was extracted from S. nigrum and A. mysorensis and fortified in edible oils, sunflower and palm oils for 180 days. The peroxide and acid values of the oils were titrimetrically determined while RP-HPLC was employed for BC analysis. Peroxide values increased significantly (p˂0.001) by 74.05% and 20%, while acid values increase by 88.23% and 345% in sunflower and palm oils respectively over a 1 month period. Although the mean levels of BC reduced significantly (p˂0.001) by over 65% for the entire storage period, the levels of BC remaining were within the recommended daily allowance (RDA), implying that BC can be fortified in sunflower and palm oils to address the antagonism of its storage and degradation.

Towards Greener Preservation of Edible Oils: A Mini-review

“…The potential of various extracts of different plants in preventing oxidative deterioration of edible oils has been investigated by different researchers [3,42,15,11,4,43,44,5]. Attributable to their antioxidant activity and antimicrobial properties, plant extracts rich in polyphenols are helpful in conserving food merchandise from aerophilic deterioration, microorganism spoilage, and also the growth of pathogens [8].…”

“…Medicinal plants, additionally known as ancient herbs, are discovered and utilized in ancient medication practices since prehistoric times [2]. Plants are known to synthesize many advanced chemical compounds for various functions which include defense against inclement weather, insects, fungi, diseases, and phytophilous mammals [3,4,5]. Various phytochemicals with potential or established biological activities are known in medicinal plants [6,7].…”