Carotenoid and Tocopherol Profiling in 18 Korean Traditional Green Leafy Vegetables by LC-SIM-MS

Fruits and vegetables are a vital source of redox-active phytochemicals in the diet. Traditional green leafy vegetables (GLVs) are a rich source of carotenoids, dietary fiber, minerals, phenols, vitamins, and tocopherols and are commonly consumed in rural areas worldwide. In traditional Korean medicine, many GLVs are used to treat various ailments. However, data on the carotenoid and tocopherol content of many traditional GLVs consumed in the Republic of Korea are insufficient. The current work aims to compare the carotenoid and tocopherol profiles of 18 traditional GLVs by utilizing a single ion monitoring LC-MS approach to identify the potential GLVs for commercial cultivation and healthy diet formulations. Among the traditional GLVs investigated, (all-E)-lutein was the most abundant carotenoid, ranging from 44.4% in to 52.1% in . It was followed by (all-E)-violaxanthin and (all-E)-β-carotene. The highest contents of (all- )-violaxanthin (75.6 µg/g FW), 9-Z-neoxanthin (48.4 µg/g FW), (all- )-luteoxanthin (10.8 µg/g FW), (all- )-lutein (174.1 µg/g FW), total xanthophylls (310.5 µg/g FW), (all- )-β-carotene (69.6 µg/g FW), and total carotenoids (380.1 µg/g FW) were recorded in . Surprisingly, also showed the highest contents of (all- )-violaxanthin, (all- )-lutein, and total carotenoids, which were statistically non-significant ( > 0.05, Tukey HSD) with . The highest concentration of (all- )-zeaxanthin (14.4 µg/g FW) was recorded in . Among the studied herbs, 13.9 ( )-133.6 µg/g FW ( ) of α-tocopherol was recorded. Overall, the results suggest that and are rich sources of carotenoids. On the other hand, is a rich source of α-tocopherol. These GLVs can be utilized in the diet to enhance the intake of health-beneficial carotenoids and α-tocopherol.