Analysis Of Chlorophyll And Β-Carotene Content Of Winter Vegetables In Bangladesh

Winter vegetables are a prime source of essential nutrients and biomolecules required for human growth, development and active defense system of the body. The experiment was conducted to determine the chlorophyll and β-carotene content of winter vegetables using the spectrophotometric method. Chlorophyll content in winter vegetables ranged from 0.24 mg/100g in beetroot to 54.91 in radish leaf. The β-carotene content in winter vegetables ranged from 3.07 μg/100g in beetroot to 1060.13 μg/100g in radish leaf. In the cluster analysis,,cluster II included spinach, radish leaf, and goat weed with high chlorophyll and β-carotene content of winter vegetables. Euclidean distance between cabbage and sorrel was the lowest (16.09) while largest distance was observed between beetroot and radish leaf (1059.18). Highly significant positive correlation was observed between β-carotene and chlorophylls. Radish leaf, spinach, goosefoot, roselle leaf and roselle fruit were observed to have the high total chlorophyll and β-carotene content among the studied winter vegetables. They should be regularly included in the diet for adequate supply of protective biomolecules in the winter season for enhanced defense system of the body.