Bioconversion Efficiency of β-Carotene from Mango Fruit and Carrots in Vitamin A

Problem statement: Bioconversion efficiency of β-Carotene (BC) in vitamin A is strongly influenced by food matrix. This efficiency has been determined mainly in typical BC sources like carrots. BC content in mango fruit is considerably high however; the bioconversion efficiency of BC from fresh mango in vitamin A has not been determined nor compared with those of typical BC sources. Approach: Vitamin A depleted rats were daily fed with portions of Ataulfo mango (alone or with soybean oil), carrots and BC dissolved in soybean oil, during a two weeks repletion period. These food portions provided an identical daily dose of BC (122.1-132.1 µg), which was considered as low. After repletion, the retinol accumulation in rat livers was determined. Results: BC was the major carotenoid in tested carrots and mangoes. BC content in these foods varied from 87.8 to 164.4 and from 17.4 to 1.2 mg Kg^-1, respectively. Mango portions size delivered to the rats were higher than those of carrots but both provided the same amount of BC. Test foods portions were completely consumed by rats. Total intake of BC during the repletion period was identical in all experimental groups (1.8 mg) however, the accumulation of retinol in rat livers varied among experimental groups. The highest retinol accumulation was found in rats feeding the oily solution of BC. Co-consumption of mango and oil increase slightly the accumulation of retinol in rat livers, but statistical differences were not found. Rats fed with carrots accumulated 37% less retinol than those feeding mango without oil. Conclusion/Recommendations: Ataulfo mango was more effective than carrots in improving vitamin A status in deficient rats. Delivered BC doses were efficiently absorbed, converted to vitamin A and stored as retinol. Further studies are needed to test the potential of mango in improving the vitamin A status in humans routinely ingesting the fruit.