Comparison of three chosen vegetables with others from South East Asia for their lutein and zeaxanthin content

Three local leafy vegetables chekup manis (Sauropus androgynus), West Indian pea tree leaves (Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Pers.), and drumstick tree leaves (Moringa oleifera), are consumed by local South East Asian populations and are believed to have beneficial effects on improved vision and prevention of eye diseases. High performance liquid chromatography equipped with photodiode array detection was used to investigate their lutein and zeaxanthin contents, which were compared with those from other commonly found vegetables in the region. It was found that these three leafy vegetables contained significantly higher amounts of lutein namely, 19.5, 28.3, and 24.8 mg/100 g edible fresh leaves, respectively, compared to other vegetables in the region. It was also found that cooking in boiling water increase the extractable lutein content in chekup manis by almost 20%, within 4 min.