Mongolian Gerbils Can Utilize Provitamin-A Carotenoids in Deep-Fried Carrot Chips1

Abstract

Deep-fried carrot chips, containing provitamin-A carotenes, were developed as an alternative mode of dietary intervention to combat vitamin A deficiency. The biological use of carotenoids in this product as vitamin A precursors was evaluated in Mongolian gerbils. Male 4-wk-old gerbils were fed a diet containing all essential nutrients for 1 wk. Then six gerbils were killed, and the remaining gerbils were fed the diet without vitamin A for 6 wk to produce marginal vitamin A deficiency. After depletion, six gerbils were killed and the remainder divided into four groups of 12 gerbils each and fed vitamin A-containing diet ( VA), -carotene-containing diet (BC), carrot chip-containing diet (CC), or diet containing no vitamin A/provitamin-A carotenes ( VA). The first three diets contained 6 g RE/g. Six gerbils from each group were killed after 2 wk of consuming these diets, and 6 after 4 wk. Final body weight and weekly food consumption did not differ among groups after 2 or 4 wk of repletion. Total liver vitamin A stores of BC and CC gerbils killed after 4 wk of repletion were not different from those of gerbils killed before depletion, but those of VA gerbils were significantly lower (P 0.05) and those of VA gerbils were significantly higher (P 0.05). Plasma retinol levels of gerbils killed after 4 wk of repletion, including the VA group, did not differ. Total liver - and -carotenes and 9-cis -carotene contents of the CC group were significantly higher (P 0.05) than in the BC group after 4 wk of repletion. This carrot chip product effectively reversed vitamin A deficiency in gerbils. J. Nutr. 132: 211–217, 2002.