title: Retention of nutrients in green leafy vegetables on dehydration.
abstract: The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of dehydration on nutrient composition of Amaranthus gangeticus, Chenopodium album, Centella asiatica, Amaranthus tricolor and Trigonella foenum graecum. The green leafy vegetables (GLV) were steam blanched for 5 min after pretreatment and dried in an oven at 60 °C for 10-12 h. The fresh and dehydrated samples were analyzed for selected proximate constituents, vitamins, minerals, antinutrients and dialyzable minerals. Dehydration seems to have little effect on the proximate, mineral and antinutrient content of the GLV. Among the vitamins, retention of ascorbic acid was 1-14%, thiamine 22-71%, total carotene 49-73% and β-carotene 20-69% respectively, of their initial content. Dialyzable iron and calcium in the fresh vegetables ranged between 0.21-3.5 mg and 15.36-81.33 mg/100 g respectively, which reduced to 0.05-0.53 mg and 6.94-58.15 mg/100 g on dehydration. Dehydration seems to be the simplest convenient technology for preserving these sources of micronutrients, especially when they are abundantly available. Irrespective of the losses of vitamins that take place during dehydration, dehydrated GLV are a concentrated natural source of micronutrients and they can be used in product formulations. Value addition of traditional products with dehydrated GLV can be advocated as a feasible food-based approach to combat micronutrient malnutrition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore, 570 006 India ; Flour Milling Baking and Confectionery Technology, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, 570020 India.
authors.forename: Sheetal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore, 570 006 India.
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Gowri
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore, 570 006 India.
authors.forename: A Jyothi
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Lakshmi
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore, 570 006 India.
authors.forename: Jamuna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prakash
keywords: Antinutrients; Dialyzable iron and calcium; Micronutrients; Thiamine; Total and β-carotene