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J.Health Sci., 48(4), 350-353, 2002
Serum Concentration of beta-Cryptoxanthin in Japan Reflects the Frequency of Satsuma Mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marc.) Consumption
Minoru Sugiura,*, a Masaya Kato,a Hikaru Matsumoto,a Akihiko Nagao,b and Masamichi Yanoa
aDepartment of Citrus Research, National Institute of Fruit Tree Science, 485-6 Okitsu, Shimizu-shi, Shizuoka 424-0292, Japan and bFood Materials Research Division, National Food Research Institute, 2-1-12 Kannondai, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki 305-8642, Japan
Beta-cryptoxanthin (beta-CRX) is a carotenoid pigment found in peach, papaya, and citrus fruits such as orange and tangerine. It is also found, especially, in Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marc.), which is heavily produced in Japan and is mainly harvested from October to February. In this study, we investigated the relationship of serum concentration of beta-CRX to the frequency of Satsuma mandarin consumption using 94 healthy nonsmoking female volunteers. In September, when Satsuma mandarin is not in season, even though the volunteers had not eaten citrus fruits or processed food including citrus for a two-month period, the serum concentration of beta-CRX in the participants who ate more than four Satsuma mandarins daily was high enough to be statistically significant compared with the participants who rarely ate any (p < 0.05). Furthermore, when the Satsuma mandarin was in season in January, the serum concentration of beta-CRX increased remarkably depending on the frequency of Satsuma mandarin consumption. These results suggest that beta-CRX is stored in some tissues for several months and that it is a useful biomarker for estimating the frequency of Satsuma mandarin consumption.
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