The effects of peeling and cooking on the mineral content and antioxidant properties in carrots enriched with potassium iodate and/or selenite (Se^IV) and selenite (Se^VI)

Abstract

Research covered six variants: control, unfertilized carrots and carrots fertilized with: KIO₃, Na₂SeO₄, Na₂SeO₃, KIO₃ and simultaneously with Na₂SeO₄, and fertilized with KIO₃ and simultaneously Na₂SeO₃. Carrots enriched with iodate or selenite, or both iodate and selenite, were characterized by higher amount of these minerals. Changes to the content of micro- and macroelements, during the cooking time of the carrots, both in peeled and unpeeled carrots, did not head in the same direction (increase, decrease and no change). However, cooking an unpeeled carrot generally resulted in the increased content of polyphenol and carotenoids. On the other hand, cooking peeled carrots led to a decrease in the content of polyphenol and a general lack of change in carotenoid content in relation to the unpeeled cooked carrot. During cooking, the antioxidant activity of the carrot being assessed changed together with the direction of changes in polyphenol content but not in line with the direction of changes in carotenoids.

Keywords:

• Carrots
• food enrichment
• selenite
• iodate
• cooking
• antioxidant activity
• polyphenols

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Funding

This work was financed by the Polish National Science Center – grant no. DEC-2011/03/D/NZ9/05560 “I and Se biofortification of selected vegetables, including the influence of these microelements on yield quality as well as evaluation of I absorption and selected biochemical parameters in rats fed with vegetables biofortified with I” planned for 2012–2015.