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New research suggests that cooking and
mashing up carrots may increase their antioxidant value.
Researchers from the University of Arkansas
in Fayetteville heated carrots with and without the skin and
then stored them at 40 degrees Centigrade (104 degrees Fahrenheit)
for 4 weeks, measuring antioxidant levels and comparing them
with the levels found in raw carrots.
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The level of antioxidants in carrots
that were cooked and pureed was more than three-times
higher than levels measured in raw carrots.
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They found that antioxidant levels
increased by more than 34% immediately after carrots were
cooked. Researchers theorize that heating softened the
carrot tissue and allowed phenolics attached to the cell
wall to be released.
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Levels of antioxidants continued to
rise during the first week of storage and then began to
fall after 2 weeks in storage.
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Keeping the outer skin on the carrots
also boosted antioxidant activity slightly, researchers
found. "Numerous phenolic compounds are located in
the (skin) of fruits and vegetables, many of which are
removed by peeling steps prior to processing," the
study notes.
"Many consumers think that fresh
vegetables are always superior in nutritional quality than
processed vegetables but this does not appear to be true for
carrots," Luke Howard, the study's lead author, told
Reuters Health, although he stressed that additional studies
are needed to determine if the antioxidants in cooked carrots
are well absorbed and can prevent free radical damage.
Journal
of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2000;48:1315-1321
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