Abstract
Carotenoids are C40 isoprenoids synthesized by plants, as well as some bacteria, fungi and algae, that have been reported to be responsible for a number of benefits conferred on human health. The inability of animals and humans to synthesize de novo these compounds is the reason why they must be introduced from dietary sources. In cereal grains, carotenoids are important phytochemicals responsible for the characteristic yellow colour of the endosperm, which confers nutritional and aesthetic quality to cereal-based products. Cereals are staple foods for a large portion of the world population, and the biofortification of cereal grains with carotenoids may represent a simple way to prevent many human diseases and disorders. Unfortunately, evidence exists that the storage and processing of cereal grains into food products may negatively impact their carotenoid content; so, this loss should be taken into consideration when analysing the potential health benefits of the cereal-based products. Focusing on the recent updates, this review summarizes the chemical composition of the carotenoids in the grains of staple cereals, including wheat, maize, rice and sorghum, the main factors that affect their carotenoid content during storage and processing and the most fruitful strategies used improve the grain carotenoid content and limit the carotenoid post-harvest losses.
Highlights
Carotenoids are C40 isoprenoids synthesized by plants, as well as some bacteria, fungi, and algae, comprising a large family with more than 700 yellow, orange or red fat-soluble pigments that include carotenes and xanthophylls
Significant advances have been done in the manipulation and improvement of the carotenoid content in cereal grains for human consumption
Storage and processing usually have a negative impact on the carotenoid content and composition of the raw and processed material
Summary
Carotenoids are C40 isoprenoids synthesized by plants, as well as some bacteria, fungi, and algae, comprising a large family with more than 700 yellow, orange or red fat-soluble pigments that include carotenes (non-oxygenated molecules) and xanthophylls (oxygenated molecules). Vitamin A deficiency is widespread throughout people resident in under-developed and developing countries, in Central and West Africa and South-Central Asia, where it is responsible for a million or more instances of death and blindness each year among preschool-age children and pregnant women [9] In these areas, diet is mainly based on the consumption of a single staple cereal crop; this implies a lack of dietary diversity that in combination with the small amounts of carotenoids ( of provitamin A carotenoids) in cereal grains, is a risk factor for vitamin. The major alterations undergone by carotenoids during storage and processing are isomerisation from trans- to cis-isomers and oxidation by different oxidizing agents; carotenoid loss due to oxidation appears to be the dominant mechanism in foods [11]
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