Evaluation of Postharvest Handling and Domestic Cooking on Carotenoids in Sweet Corn

Sweetcorn is a rich source of dietary carotenoids. In this study,the effects of postharvest handling and cooking on carotenoids insweet corn were investigated. The fresh bicolor sweet corn was harvestedfrom the field, which was processed into samples that representedthe two major retail types (farmers market and grocery store) andtwo common cooking methods (boiling and steaming). Both free and boundforms of carotenoids were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatographyand LC-MS. Nine carotenoids were identified, with lutein andzeaxanthin being the predominant ones. The postharvest handling andcooking either did not change or reduced the free carotenoids butincreased the total bound carotenoids. The total carotenoids in allprocessed samples were not altered or slightly decreased. The percentagesof total bound carotenoids in total carotenoids increased in all processedand cooked samples. The changes of individual carotenoids dependedon the processing/cooking methods and the chemical structures.