PROCESSING AND STABILITY OF CAROTENOID POWDER FROM CARROT PULP WASTE

Carrot pulp waste was used as raw material for processing carotenoid p owder by spray-drying, and the stability of carotenoid in the powder w as studied under light and dark storage at various temperatures. The v arious carotenoids were analyzed by HPLC with photodiode array detecti on. Results showed that the most appropriate condition for processing carotenoid powder by spray-drying consists of 15% solid content of fee d, with inlet air temperature of 135-145 degrees C and outlet air temp erature of 90-100 degrees C. The total amount of all-trans plus cis fo rms of lutein, alpha-carotene, or beta-carotene in the carotenoid powd er decreased with increasing storage time and temperature, and the deg radation rate of each fits the first-order model. The major cis isomer s formed in the dark were 13-cis-alpha-carotene and 13-cis-beta-carote ne, whereas 9-cis isomers of both alpha- and beta-carotene predominate d under light. A high correlation was also observed between color chan ges and carotenoid content.