Fruits and vegetables in the Brazilian Household Budget Survey (2008–2009): carotenoid content and assessment of individual carotenoid intake

• Individual intake of major dietary carotenoids was assessed in the Brazilian population.
• Vegetables are higher contributors than fruit to vitamin A intake (70 vs 22% retinol equivalents).
• Ratio of non-provitamin:provitamin-A carotenoids in Brazilian dietary intake is nearly 2.

The β-carotene, α-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, neoxanthin, violaxanthin concentrations in raw fruits and vegetables were compiled (19 fruits, 24 vegetables, and mixed fruit and salad dishes), using data from foods collected and analyzed in Brazil, by means of high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The food intake was obtained from the Food Consumption Module of the Household Budget Survey (2008–2009), recorded in 13569 households, representative of all Brazilian regions. Vegetables contributed more to vitamin A intake than fruits (70.3% vs 21.5% retinol equivalents), raw salads, pumpkin, kale and carrot being the main contributors. The mean dietary intakes of fruits (86 g/d) and vegetables (64 g/d) did not meet the recommendation of the WHO/FAO. All food items supplied β-carotene (0.9 mg/p/d), the major contributors being kale, pumpkin and mango. β-Cryptoxanthin (0.1 mg/p/d) was mostly supplied by orange, tangerine and papaya (87.4% of its intake). Lycopene (0.7 mg/p/d) was found only in guava, watermelon and tomato. Lutein (0.8 mg/p/d), violaxanthin and neoxanthin (0.6 and 0.2 mg/p/d, respectively), were mainly supplied by green leafy vegetables and α-carotene (0.16 mg/p/d) and zeaxanthin (0.06 mg/p/d) by a small number of foods.