| Abstract: | Information on the content and bioavailability of provitamin A carotenoids, such as β‐carotene, in plant foods is of great interest due to the widespread vitamin A deficiency in developing countries. While the amount of β‐carotene can readily be quantified with analytical techniques, there is limited information on β‐carotene morphology in native plant materials. Here, we introduce nonlinear microscopy for three‐dimensional, label‐free imaging of carotenoids in fresh and thermally treated plant tissues, providing quantitative information at single‐aggregate level and detailed insight into their distribution. Carotenoids in orange‐fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), carrot, and mango were visualized by coherent anti‐Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy and, in the case of OFSP, related to the plant‐matrix morphology by simultaneous second‐harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy of starch granules. Sizes, shapes, densities, and location of different types of carotenoid bodies were quantified. While OFSP and carrot showed heterogeneous rod‐shaped bodies with high carotenoid densities indicated by higher CARS signals, the carotenoid‐filled lipid droplets in mango appeared as homogeneous low‐density aggregates of rounded shape. In addition, β‐carotene densities and morphologies in OFSP were studied after thermal processing, showing that the bodies remain intact despite significant changes of the surrounding starch granules. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
