A comparison study on the nutrient retention and physical characteristics of carrot after drying treatment using microwave oven and conventional oven / Margaret Bain

The aim of this study was to compare the nutrient retention and physical characteristics of carrot after drying treatment using microwave oven and conventional oven. The nutrient to interest is carotene and lycopene that contained in carrot. Lycopene and carotene are carotenoids pigments which are unsaturated hydrocarbon. Both carotenoid were extracted in hexane and petroleum ether as the solvents. Then, the extracted pigments were separated using column chromatography. Analysis of lycopene and carotene was done by High Performance Liquid Chromatoraphy (HPLC). The carotene and lycopene was found to be high in conventional drying than treat of microwave drying. The colour characteristics were based on visual observation. The color of the carrot treated by microwave drying appeared dark compared to the carrot treated by oven drying. Increasing the sample thickness slowed the lost of water.