Development of Carrot Nutraceutical Products as an Alternative Supplement for the Prevention of Nutritional Diseases

Nadia Riaz; Zubaida Yousaf; Zarina Yasmin; Muneeb Munawar; Afifa Younas; Madiha Rashid; Arusa Aftab; Bushra Shamsheer; Hamna Yasin; Muhammad Najeebullah; Philipp W Simon

doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.787351

Development of Carrot Nutraceutical Products as an Alternative Supplement for the Prevention of Nutritional Diseases

Front Nutr. 2022 Jan 3:8:787351. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2021.787351. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Nadia Riaz^{1

2}, Zubaida Yousaf¹, Zarina Yasmin³, Muneeb Munawar⁴, Afifa Younas¹, Madiha Rashid^{1

5}, Arusa Aftab¹, Bushra Shamsheer¹, Hamna Yasin¹, Muhammad Najeebullah⁵, Philipp W Simon^{2

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Botany, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Pakistan.
² Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.
³ Post-Harvest Research Centre, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
⁴ Vegetable Research Institute, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
⁵ Department of Botany, Division of Science and Technology, University of Education Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan.
⁶ Vegetable Crops Research Unit, US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Madison, WI, United States.

Abstract

Nutraceuticals can serve as an alternative supplement to overcome nutritional deficiency for a healthy lifestyle. They can also play a key role in disease management. To develop carrot nutraceutical products, 64 genotypes from four different continents were evaluated for a range of morpho-nutrition variables. Genetic variability, heritability, strength and direction of association among variables, and direct and indirect relationships among physiochemical and nutritional traits with β-carotene content were evaluated. Core diameter, foliage weight, root weight and shoulder weight showed significant association with β-carotene accumulation. Principal component analysis for physiochemical and nutritional assessment divided these genotypes into two distinctive groups, Eastern carrots and Western carrots. Caloric and moisture content had high positive associations with β-carotene content while carbohydrate content was negatively associated. Five genotypes (T-29, PI 634658, PI 288765, PI 164798, and Ames 25043) with the highest β-carotene contents were selected for making three nutraceutical supplements (carrot-orange juice, carrot jam and carrot candies). These nutraceutical supplements retained high β-carotene content coupled with antioxidant properties. Carrot jam (6.5 mg/100 g) and carrot candies (4.8 mg/100 g) had greater concentrations of β-carotene than carrot-orange juice (1.017 mg/100 g). Carrot jam presented high antioxidant activity with the highest values in T-29 (39% inhibition of oxidation) followed by PI 634658 (37%), PI 164798 (36.5%), Ames 25043 (36%) and PI 288765 (35.5%). These nutraceutical products, with 4-6.5 mg/100 g β-carotene content, had higher values than the USDA recommended dietary intake of 3-6 mg β-carotene/day can be recommended for daily use to lower the risk of chronic disease.

Keywords: antioxidant; genetic diversity; heritability; morpho-nutritional; nutraceutical; physiochemical; β-carotenoid.