Separation and Identification of Carotenoids in SWEET Potato By HPLC Chromatogram.

Carotenoids are indispensable to plants and play a critical role in human nutrition and health as well. They have long been recognized as essential nutrients and important health beneficial compounds. As humans are unable to synthesize carotenoids, they have to depend on plants for these essential products. β-carotene, largely known as a “Pro-vitamin A” carotenoid, serves as the primary dietary source of vitamin A. The deficiency of vitamin A is one of the most noticeable nutritional problems in many parts of the world.

Sweet potato is well known as health food for human being. Five varieties of sweet potato from the sweet potato project in University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Bonita, Covington, Beauregard (B94-14), Beauregard (B63), and a purple sweet potato (Stokes) were investigated for β-carotene, lutein, zeazanthin and violazanthin, the most common carotenoids in plants. Separation and identification were conducted using HPLC and spectroscopic properties of each carotenoid. Five varieties happen to contain varying concentrations of one or two of the four carotenoids. β-carotene appears to be more frequent for the five varieties, a larger concentration of zeazanthin occurs in only Bonita. While Lutein and Violazanthin appear only trace in all five varieties.