Abstract

Ten different locally grown and widely consumed vegetables were selected for the screening of total carotenoids and β-carotene contents. The pigments were extracted by solvent extraction and the concentrations determined using UV-visible spectrophotometer. Carrot (Daucus carota) has the highest values of both the total carotenoids (397.8 ± 2.0 µg/g) and β-carotene (203.0 µg/g). Squash (C. moschata) has the lowest concentrations of total carotenoids (20.3 ± 2.0 µg/g) while cabbage has the lowest β-carotene (24.41 ± 9.8 µg/g). These vegetables, if properly processed, may serve as good sources of provitamin A in addition to other nutritional roles. The potentials of these vegetables as candidates for biofortification with β -carotene for the eradication of vitamin A deficiency were discussed.

Key words: Vegetables, Carotenoids, β-carotene, Vitamin A deficiency