Quantitation of Carotenoids in Commonly consumed Vegetables in Japan

The carotenoid content, potentially an antioxidant, of 70 vegetables in Japan was determined by reversed-phase HPLC. α-Carotene was detected in 55 of 70 vegetable samples; β-carotene, in all 70; lycopene, in four types of tomatoes and Kintoki carrot; capsanthin, in only two types of sweet peppers; lutein, in 68 of the 70; zeaxanthin, in 30 of the 70; and β-cryptoxanthin in 12 of the 70 samples. All leafy vegetables contained relatively high levels of β-carotene and lutein. In contrast, fruits showed variable carotenoid compositions. A high content of lycopene was quantified in tomatoes and capsanthin was found only in red sweet peppers. In root crops, orange carrots contained high levels of α- and β-carotene, and a high level of lycopene was found in the Kintoki carrot. In other crops, such as head, beans, pods, inflorescences, and spears, carotenoid content was not found to be high in this study.