Content of lutein in aqueous extracts of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil)

• Yerba mate based infusions are good sources of lutein.
• Terere extracts presented higher lutein content than chimarrão extracts.
• Water temperature increase elevated the migration of lutein.
• For chimarrão preparation, course-ground extracts had the highest lutein content into the aqueous solution.

Lutein is the main carotenoid in green leafy vegetables. It has been associated to reduction of risks of progression of macular degeneration, therefore, the consumption of lutein through diet is essential to help prevention of blindness and cataract. In this study, we investigated lutein in aqueous extracts of yerba mate by ultra high performance liquid chromatoraphy and mass spectrometry. Different commercial types of yerba mate for chimarrão (smooth, traditional and coarse-ground) and terere were analyzed. The effect of temperature on the amount of lutein extracted was also investigated. We observed that terere extracts presented lutein content higher (17 μg) than chimarrão extracts, and among chimarrão commercial types, coarse-ground presented the highest lutein content (in average 9.5 μg). We also verified that water temperature incremental favored the lutein migration to aqueous extract. The levels of lutein found in the yerba mate infusions investigated in this study were superior to others tea drinks, showing that aqueous extracts of yerba mate can contribute significantly to the ingestion of lutein.