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Nutrient Requirements

Twice the Amount of -Carotene Isolated from Carrots Is as Effective as ß-Carotene in Maintaining the Vitamin A Status of Mongolian Gerbils^1,2

Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706

³To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: sherry{at}nutrisci.wisc.edu.

The vitamin A (VA) value of carotenoids from fruits and vegetables is affected by many factors. This study determined the VA value of -carotene isolated from carrots compared with ß-carotene and retinyl acetate supplements fed to Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). Gerbils (n = 38) were fed a VA-free diet for 4 wk. At baseline, 6 gerbils were killed to determine liver VA. Gerbils were divided into 3 treatment groups (n = 9/group) and given 35, 35, or 17.5 nmol retinyl acetate, -carotene or ß-carotene, respectively, in 2 divided doses 5 h apart each day. The remaining 5 gerbils received oil vehicle. Gerbils were killed after 3 wk of supplementation. Serum samples and livers were collected and analyzed for VA. Liver extracts were subsequently saponified to quantify -retinol. Serum retinol concentrations did not differ among the groups. Liver retinyl palmitate concentrations were significantly higher in the retinyl acetate treatment group (0.198 ± 0.051 µmol/g; P < 0.05) than in all other groups. The - and ß-carotene treatments resulted in similar retinyl palmitate concentrations, i.e., 0.110 ± 0.026 and 0.109 ± 0.051 µmol/g, respectively, which did not differ from the concentrations in gerbils killed at baseline (0.123 ± 0.024 µmol/g). The oil group had significantly less retinyl palmitate (0.061 ± 0.029 µmol/g; P < 0.05) than all other groups. -Retinol was detected in livers of the -carotene group (0.062 ± 0.013 µmol/g). Thus, twice the amount of purified -carotene maintained VA status as well as ß-carotene in VA-depleted gerbils. Conversion factors were 5.5 µg -carotene or 2.8 µg ß-carotene to 1 µg retinol.

KEY WORDS: • -retinol • carotenoids • conversion factors • Mongolian gerbils • retinol • vitamin A

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