Abstract
Background: Crops such as maize, sorghum, and millet are being biofortified with provitamin A carotenoids to ensure adequate vitamin A (VA) intakes. VA assessment can be challenging because serum retinol concentrations are homeostatically controlled and more sensitive techniques are resource-intensive.Objectives: We investigated changes in serum retinol relative differences of isotope amount ratios of 13C/12C (δ13C) caused by natural 13C fractionation in C3 compared with C4 plants as a biomarker to detect provitamin A efficacy from biofortified (orange) maize and high-carotene carrots.Methods: The design was a 2 × 2 × 2 maize (orange compared with white) by carrot (orange compared with white) by a VA fortificant (VA+ compared with VA−) in weanling male Mongolian gerbils (n = 55), which included a 14-d VA depletion period and a 62-d treatment period (1 baseline and 8 treatment groups; n = 5−7/group). Liver VA and serum retinol were quantified, purified by HPLC, and analyzed by GC combustion isotope ratio mass spectrometry for 13C.Results: Treatments affected liver VA concentrations (0.048 ± 0.039 to 0.79 ± 0.24 μmol/g; P < 0.0001) but not overall serum retinol concentrations (1.38 ± 0.22 μmol/L). Serum retinol and liver VA δ13C were significantly correlated (R2 = 0.92; P < 0.0001). Serum retinol δ13C differentiated control groups that consumed white maize and white carrots (−27.1 ± 1.2 δ13C‰) from treated groups that consumed orange maize and white carrots (−21.6 ± 1.4 δ13C‰ P < 0.0001) and white maize and orange carrots (−30.6 ± 0.7 δ13C‰ P < 0.0001). A prediction model demonstrated the relative contribution of orange maize to total dietary VA for groups that consumed VA from mixed sources.Conclusions: Provitamin A efficacy and quantitative estimation of the relative contribution to dietary VA were demonstrated with the use of serum retinol δ13C. This method could be used for maize efficacy or effectiveness studies and with other C4 crops biofortified with provitamin A carotenoids (e.g., millet, sorghum). Advantages include no extrinsic tracer dose, 1 blood sample, and higher sensitivity than serum retinol concentrations alone.
Highlights
Biofortifying staple and horticultural foods with provitamin A carotenoids can sustainably ensure adequate vitamin A (VA)8 intakes [1] and mitigate potential hypervitaminosis A risks caused by preformed VA in high-dose supplements and fortified foods [224]
Maize total carbon differences of isotope amount ratios of 13C/12C (d13C) was higher than carrots for both orange maize (OM) (211.0& 6 0.2& compared with 225.6& 6 0.2&; P < 0.0001) and White maize (WM) (211.3& 6 0.3& compared with 225.3& 6 0.1&; P < 0.0001) varieties; d13C did not differ within carrot or maize varieties (P $ 0.05)
Reduced serum retinol d13C was demonstrated in response to increased consumption of C3 vegetables containing provitamin A carotenoids, including carrots and pumpkin [25], which we demonstrated in this study
Summary
Biofortifying staple and horticultural foods with provitamin A carotenoids can sustainably ensure adequate vitamin A (VA) intakes [1] and mitigate potential hypervitaminosis A risks caused by preformed VA in high-dose supplements and fortified foods [224]. A human bioefficacy study determined that orange maize (OM) is an efficacious VA source in children [3], but to our knowledge effectiveness trials have not yet been carried out. Crops such as maize, sorghum, and millet are being biofortified with provitamin A carotenoids to ensure adequate vitamin A (VA) intakes. Conclusions: Provitamin A efficacy and quantitative estimation of the relative contribution to dietary VA were demonstrated with the use of serum retinol d13C This method could be used for maize efficacy or effectiveness studies and with other C4 crops biofortified with provitamin A carotenoids (e.g., millet, sorghum).
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