Traditional Cooked Vegetable Dishes as Important Sources of Ascorbic Acid and β-Carotene in the Diets of Indian Urban and Rural Families

Abstract

Background Fresh vegetable produce is abundant during the winter season in Punjab. It is an important source of vitamins and minerals in the Punjabi diet, but the availability of ascorbic acid and β-carotene from the vegetables is altered to varying degrees when they are subjected to traditional household processing methods. Objective To determine the importance of traditional cooked vegetable dishes as sources of ascorbic acid and β-carotene among urban and rural families during the winter. Methods Information about vegetable consumption, storage, and cooking practices was collected from 60 families, 30 each from urban and rural areas of Ludhiana District, Punjab, India. Samples of the common cooked vegetable dishes were prepared in the laboratory by methods ascertained from the survey and analyzed for ascorbic acid and β-carotene. Results The average total daily per capita consumption of vegetables by urban and rural families was 411.7 and 365.9 g, respectively. Cooked vegetable dishes provided 68.7% of the total vegetable intake for urban families and 85.0% for rural families. On average, the edible portion constituted 78.9% of the weight of the vegetables. Ten cooked vegetable dishes that were most frequently consumed by the families (mustard saag, potato—spinach, potato—fenugreek, potato—brinjal, potato—cauliflower, potato—capsicum, potato—carrots, potato—beans, potato—peas, and cabbage—peas) were selected for preparation in the laboratory and nutritional analysis. The average concentrations of ascorbic acid and β-carotene in the cooked vegetable dishes were 46.0 mg/100 g and 794.2 μg/100g fresh weight, respectively. The percentage losses of ascorbic acid and β-carotene during preparation and cooking were 26.1% and 25.9%, respectively. Conclusions For adult Indian men and women, the recommended dietary allowance of ascorbic acid is 40 mg, and that of β-carotene is 2,400 μg. Cooked vegetable dishes provided 269.9% and 77.5% of the recommended dietary allowances of ascorbic acid and β-carotene, respectively, indicating that these dishes are good sources of these nutrients in the diets of both urban and rural families during the winter season.