Red palm oil-supplemented and biofortified cassava gari increase the carotenoid and retinyl palmitate concentrations of triacylglycerol-rich plasma in women

Abstract

Boiled biofortified cassava containing β-carotene can increase retinyl palmitate in triacylglycerol-rich plasma. Thus, it might alleviate vitamin A deficiency. Cassava requires extensive preparation to decrease its level of cyanogenic glucosides, which can be fatal. Garification is a popular method of preparing cassava that removes cyanogen glucosides. Our objective was to compare the effectiveness of biofortified gari to gari prepared with red palm oil. The study was a randomized crossover trial in 8 American women. Three gari preparations separated by 2-week washout periods were consumed. Treatments (containing 200-225.9 g gari) were as follows: biofortified gari (containing 1 mg β-carotene), red palm oil-fortified gari (1 mg β-carotene), and unfortified gari with a 0.3-mg retinyl palmitate reference dose. Blood was collected 6 times from -0.5 to 9.5 hours after ingestion. Triacylglycerol-rich plasma was separated by ultracentrifugation and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detection. Area under the curve for β-carotene, α-carotene, and retinyl palmitate increased after the fortified meals were fed (P < .05), although the retinyl palmitate increase induced by the red palm oil treatment was greater than that induced by the biofortified treatment (P < .05). Vitamin A conversion was 2.4 ± 0.3 and 4.2 ± 1.5 μg pro-vitamin A carotenoid/1 μg retinol (means ± SEM) for red palm oil and biofortified gari, respectively. These results show that both treatments increased β-carotene, α-carotene, and retinyl palmitate in triacylglycerol-rich plasma concentrations in healthy well-nourished adult women, supporting our hypothesis that both interventions could support efforts to alleviate vitamin A deficiency.

Keywords: Biofortified cassava; Human; Red palm oil; Vitamin A; β-Carotene.

Figure 1

Flow chart of subject recruitment and selection for study.

Figure 2

Gari preparations: ROG, WG+RP, and BFG. Appearance of red palm oil fortified (ROG), white gari (WG+RP), and biofortified (BFG). Bowls of gari resting on mylar storage bags. Left = ROG, middle = WG+RP, Right = BFG.

Figure 3

Figure 3A. β-Carotene concentrations in triacylglycerol-rich plasma after fortified gari ingestion Figure 3B. α-Carotene concentrations in triacylglycerol-rich plasma after fortified gari ingestion Means (±SEM) change of carotenoid concentrations in triacylglycerol-rich plasma after subjects ingested either BFG or ROG. ( n = 8). WG+RP, which contained negligible amounts of β-carotene and α-carotene, was used as a control; its carotenoid concentrations at each time point were subtracted from the ROG and BFG groups. 3A = β-carotene concentration; 3B = α-carotene concentrations. BFG = ___ ; ROG = - - -.

Figure 4

retinyl palmitate concentrations in triacylglycerol-rich plasma after fortified gari ingestion Means (±SEM) change of retinyl palmitate concentrations in triacylglycerol-rich plasma after subjects ingested BFG, ROG, or WG+RP. ( n = 8). BFG = ___ ; ROG = - - -. WG+RP = … * = significantly different from WG+RP.

Figure 5

Comparison of AUC of α-carotene and BC = β-carotene concentrations in triacylglycerol-rich plasma ( n = 8). WG+RP, which contained negligible amounts of β-carotene and α-carotene, was used as a control; its carotenoid concentrations at each time point were subtracted from the ROG and BFG groups. □ = WG+RP, = ROG, = BFG.

Figure 6

Comparison of retinyl palmitate in triacylglycerol-rich plasma for each treatment group * = significantly different from WG+RP, ( n = 8). = ROG, = BFG.