The Isolation Of Carotenoids From Green Leafy Vegetables

Abstract. The carotenoids have been isolated from two green leafy vegetables namely cassava (Manihot esculanta crants) and water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica forsk) leaves. The leaves were homogenized with blender and extracted with methanol. The extracts were saponified with potassium hydroxide solution in methanol. Saponified materials were extracted with diethyl ether. The ether layers were washed with water, dried over sodium sulphate and evaporated to dryness. The residues were separated with preparative this layer chromatography of silica gel to give two fractions, carotenes and xanthophylls. The carotenes fractions were separated with preparative this layer chromatography of a mixture of calcium carbonate: silica gel (6:1) to give four sub fractions for both extracts. Three sub fractions of cassava (Manihot esculanta crants) leaves were identified as β-carotene, lycopene and γ-carotene and two sub fractions of water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica forsk) were identified as β-carotene and lycopene. Key words: green leafy vegetables, carotenoid, preparative this layer chromatograph