A STUDY ON BETA-CAROTENE CONTENT OF SOME GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES OF WESTERN INDIA BY HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY

sixteen green leafy vegetables of the Western region of India, consume d frequently by the rural and tribal population were analyzed for mois ture content, total carotenes and beta-carotene by HPLC. The results r evealed, that 9 out of the 16 contained more than 10,000 mu g of total carotenes per 100 g, while seven of the sixteen were rich sources of beta-carotene, contributing greater than or equal to 5000 pg per 100g fresh weight. beta-carotene in 12 out of 16 GLVs formed 40-90% of the total carotenes. The results have provided important information for d ietary planning with respect to vitamin A intake.