A critical review on carotenoid research in Sri Lankan context and its outcomes

As determined by countrywide assessments, vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem in Sri Lanka. Study of carotenoid profile and content could be important to nutritionists as some carotenoids act as precursors of vitamin A. Sri Lanka has a remarkable diversity of carotenoid sources. A number of Sri Lankan sources of carotenoids have been studied by many authors. This study reviews carotenoid research done in Sri Lanka, comparing results which are generally in conflict with a few relevant studies abroad, while focusing on problems of carotenoid research and concluding that it is difficult for a dietician to predict carotenoid intake due to marked biological variation. Therefore, any database on carotenoid covering the entire country has its limitations. Further that even if carotenoid profiles are known using exhaustive sampling, there can be no single method of calculating retinol equivalent (RE) and retinol activity equivalent (RAE) especially as carotenoid uptake and bioconversion could be multifactorially affected and subject to control mechanisms. Therefore, RE and RAE should be calculated differently for different types of plant materials may even be expanded so that a unique calculation depending on plant material and method of cooking.