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Relationship Between Hunter Color Values and B - Carotene Contents in White-Fleshed African Sweetpotatoes (Ipomoea Batatas Lam)
Relationship Between Hunter Color Values and B - Carotene Contents in White-Fleshed African Sweetpotatoes (Ipomoea Batatas Lam)
Carotenoids in white-eshed sweetpotato cultivars They were rinsed in water to remove sodium hydroxide
were studied by Martin (1983) and Almeida and Pen- and coarsely chopped in a food cutter (Hobart Manu-
teado (1988). Although loosely called white-eshed, facturing Co, Troy, OH, USA) to a 510 mm particle
these vary from white to cream, light yellow or light diameter. Fifteen percent of the chopped portion was
orange. Cooking almost invariably intensies the color. removed to be added back later as a source of enzyme
The cooked root may be white, grey, greenish, yellow- for the conversion of starch. The remaining chopped
ish, yellow or orange. White-eshed sweetpotatoes are material was cooked for 40 min in a stream-jacketed
usually preferred as a food in the tropics, because they kettle at 90C and ground through a comminuting mill,
do not have a carrot-like sweet avour (Martin 1983). with a 5 mm screen (Fitzpatrick Co, Chicago, IL, USA)
The green color of the cooked sweetpotatoes may be to form a puree. The chopped raw portion was added
associated with an epoxide of the carotenoids (Ball and the mixture held at 7274C for 20 min, after which
1988). the temperature was raised to 90C to inactivate
The objective of this study was to determine the enzymes. The puree was milled using an 08 mm screen.
relationship between Hunter color reading and b- Consistency was adjusted by adding water to achieve
carotene content in raw and processed sweetpotatoes. 68 Bostwick at 90C. Cans (401 ] 411 mm) were lled
The use of the Hunter Color Meter is being tested, so with the puree and processed in a steam retort at 115C
that it may be used where HPLC is not available. The for 100 min. The canned purees were stored at 1725C.
following studies were carried out to arrive at an
answer. Four cultivars of white-eshed sweetpotatoes of
Carotenoid determination
African originT3013, T1702, T3002 and T3006were
chosen and carotene in them was evaluated.
Carotenoid content was determined as described by
Ameny (1994). Sweetpotatoes were grated lengthwise on
a cheese grater. Ten grams of each grated sample was
MATERIALS
weighed in a homogenizer (Omni 17105, Omni Interna-
tional Waterbury, CT, USA). To this was added 20 g of
Sweetpotatoes (Ipomoea batatas Lam) were obtained as
anhydrous sodium sulphite, 1 g of magnesium carbon-
tissue culture from the International Institute of Tropi-
ate and 100 ml of stabilised tetrahydrofuran (THF). For
cal Agriculture (Nigeria) through the USDA-ARS
the processed puree, 10 g were weighed into the homog-
Southern Regional Plant Introduction Station. All
eniser, followed by 20 g of anhydrous sodium sulphate,
sweetpotato varieties were grown at Hill Farm
1 g magnesium carbonate and 100 ml of stabilised
(Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA),
THF. The samples were homogenised for 5 min at a
following common cultural practices. The sweetpotatoes
slow speed, then vacuum ltered through a Buchner
were harvested mechanically and the sweetpotatoes that
funnel tted with a Whatman d42 lter paper. The l-
were not damaged during harvest were chosen for the
trate was then brought to a nal volume of 500 ml,
study. After harvest the sweetpotatoes were packed in
evaporated to dryness at 40C over nitrogen in a rotary
18 kg crates and placed in a purpose-built curing room
evaporator (Buchi Laboratorimus-Technik AG, Flavil,
for 1 week. The curing room was at 30C and 8090%
Switzerland) and taken to a nal volume of 10 ml with
relative humidity. This resulted in the healing of any
stabilised THF. The extracts were stored in brown
wounds that were incurred during harvest and post-
bottles with Teon-lined caps under nitrogen in a cold
harvest handling. Curing provided a barrier to moisture
room at [20C until needed for injection into an
loss and impeded microbial invasion of the tissue by
HPLC, for spectrophotometric analysis and Hunter
means of suberisation. The sweetpotatoes were then
color analysis. The term carotenoid as used refers to the
stored in a purpose-built storage facility at 15C and
THF-soluble pigments exhibiting absorption at 450 nm.
8090% relative humidity for 16 months until needed
for the experiment. The four sweetpotato cultivars
ranged in esh color from white to yellow, and were Spectrophotometry
used for color and total carotenoid content determi-
nation for both raw and puree samples. Spectrophotometric analyses were done on extracts
using a scanning UVVis spectrophotometer (Perkin
Elmer, Norwalk, CT, USA), to determine the maximum
METHODOLOGY absorption wavelength. Total carotenoids were then
determined at the maximum wavelength of absorption
Processing into pure e with b-carotene as a standard. Stock solutions of b-
carotene (Sigma Chemical Co, St Louis, MO, USA)
Sweetpotato roots were sprayed with warm water to were prepared by weighing 25 mg into a 100 ml brown
remove surface soil and lye peeled for 35 min in a low actinic volumetric ask and bringing the volume to
sodium hydroxide solution (150 g litre~1) at 8090C. 100 ml with THF. Four working standards were pre-
b-Carotene content of African sweetpotato 303
pared by taking 1, 2, 3 or 4 ml from the stock and seven cans from the same batch. Ten grams of the puree
making up to 100 ml. Standards were stored at [20C was placed in a layer in the glass container and this was
under nitrogen. A standard curve was prepared using sufficient to allow dierentiation of meter readings due
the working solutions and the unknown b-carotene was to the transmitted light. the hue angle was determined
determined against the standard. as tan~1 b/a (Little 1975).
A rapid non-aqueous reverse-phase HPLC was used, Regression analysis was carried out to determine the
modied from Bushway (1985). Conditions were as relationship between b-carotene and color values L, a,
follows : column packing, C-18 5k Vydac 201TP54 ; b, hue and b/a (SAS 1994). Analysis of variance of color
column, 150 mm ] 46 mm ; isocratic solvent, values was computed by GLM and the dierence
methanol/chloroform (90 : 10) ; ow rate, 1 ml min~1 at between means was determined by Duncans test.
500 psi ; ambient temperature, 20C. b-Carotene was
used as standard to determine the retention time
(Ameny 1994). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
TABLE 1
Absorption wavelengths and total carotenoids in sweetpotatoesa
a Numbers with the same following letters are not signicantly dierent at P \ 005.
b Means for four readings, the rest are means for seven readings. Duncans Multiple Range
Test.
Boiling for 10 min aected the color values for all the changes in carotenoids, caramelisation, oxidation or
cultivars (Table 4). The L (white) values decreased on phenol action during boiling. The other cultivars of
boiling, but were not signicantly dierent from those sweetpotatoes still had signicant dierences between
of the uncooked samples. The decrease could be due to the L (white) values despite the general decrease in L
TABLE 2
Comparison of b-carotene contents of sweetpotatoes from various parts of
the world
TABLE 3
External and internal color values of unprocessed cured sweetpotatoa
a Figures in the same column with the same following letter are not signicantly
dierent at P \ 005.
b Middle \ Inside portion, cut transversely. n \ 3.
b-Carotene content of African sweetpotato 305
TABLE 4
Color values for boiled, pureed and extracts from puree and raw sweetpotatoesa
a Figures with the same following letters in the same column are not signicantly dierent at
P \ 005.
b ExtractP* \ puree extract ; ExtractR \ Raw extract.
(white) value. Lye peeling and processing to puree for the middle region was less than that for the surface
decreased the L (white) value for all the samples, area. On boiling the hue angle for cultivar T3002 did
implying that the samples became less white or darker not change ; the value for T3013 decreased and
on pureeing. This was probably due to oxidation, phe- increased for T1702 and T3006. On pureeing, the hue
nolic action or caramelisation (Gross 1991). The angles for T3002, T3013, T1702, T3006 all decreased.
extracts both for puree and uncooked samples had The hue angles for the extracts for T3002, T3013, T1702
decreased L (white) values. There was no dierence and T3006 were all lower than those of the correspond-
(P \ 005) in the L (white) values of the processed and ing raw & puree samples, but the decrease was greater
uncooked extracts at P \ 005. for the raw extract than the processed extract in T3002,
The a (red) values for T3002 and T3013 did not T1702 and T3006, while the processed extract decreased
change on boiling. In the other cultivars, T1702 and more than the raw extract in T3013. The change in hue
T3006, there was a decrease in the a (red) values. All angle may be due to loss, oxidation or isomerization of
the extracts had [a (green) values and there were no carotenoids, caramelisation or to enzyme action (Gross
signicant dierences among them at P \ 005. The a 1991).
(red) value for the puree also decreased, as compared to
that of the unprocessed sweetpotatoes, that for T3006 Relationship between color values L, a, b, b/a and tan~1
becoming [ a (green). Thus, the processed samples b/a and b-carotene content
became less red and more green probably due to isom-
erisation of carotenoids, or complexing of carotenoids Regression analysis was carried out on the color values
with proteins (Gross 1991). L, a, b, b/a and tan~1 b/a to b-carotene. Correlation
The b (yellow) value for T3002 was unchanged on analysis was carried out to determine the strength of the
boiling. It increased for T3013 and T3006, and for linear relationship between the two variables, color and
T1702 it decreased. All the extracts had [b (blue) b-carotene content. The results are shown in Table 5.
values meaning the extracts were more blue, probably The color value b (yellow) had the highest correlation
due to complexing with proteins by the carotenoids coefficient of 074 (P \ 005) showing that the relation
(Bauernend 1972). The puree values decreased for between b-carotene and color value b (yellow) is linear,
T3002, T3013, T1702 and T3006. Thus, pureeing makes followed by L (white), with r \ [074. The value a
the sweetpotato less yellow, probably due to cara- (red) had r of 039, showing very little association
melisation or carotenoid loss (Gross 1991). between color value a and carotene content. The b
The hue angle of the middle region for cultivars (yellow) color value appears to be the best measure for
T3002 and T3013 was higher than that of the surface correlation between color value and b-carotene concen-
region. For cultivars T1702 and T3006, the hue angle tration. Takahata et al (1993) found the color value a
306 M A Ameny, P W W ilson