Effect of Acidified Processing and Storage on Carotenoids (Provitamin A) and Vitamin C in Mung Bean Sprouts

Blanching of mung bean sprouts has little effect on total carotenoids and β-carotene. Canned sprouts stored at RT for 6 months lost smaller amounts of total and ‘active’ carotenoids compared with bottled sprouts. Blanching resulted in approximately 50% loss of vitamin C in fresh mung bean sprouts but storage temperatures alone produced little change in vitamin C. Canned sprouts stored at RT for 6 months contained only 30% of the vitamin C of stored bottled sprouts. Fresh mung bean sprouts contained 19 μg 100 g⁻¹β-carotene and 15 mg 100 g⁻¹ vitamin C.