Carotenoid content and traditional knowledge of breadfruit cultivars of the Republic of the Marshall Islands

Abstract Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and non-communicable diseases including cancer, heart disease and diabetes are serious health problems in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), a small island nation of the Pacific. These health problems are related to the trend towards over-consumption of unhealthy imported processed foods and neglect of traditional foods. Breadfruit ( Artocarpus altilis and Artocarpus mariannensis ) is the most widely available traditional starch food for RMI people. The ripe fruit flesh is yellow or sometimes orange, as with the Mejwaan cultivar, indicative of carotenoid content. Carotenoid-rich foods can protect against VAD and non-communicable diseases. Yet little information on carotenoid content of Marshallese breadfruit cultivars is available. This study documents traditional knowledge of breadfruit cultivars using ethnography, and analyzed 6 breadfruit cultivars of 2 species, A. altilis and A. mariannensis , for provitamin A (β- and α-carotene) and total carotenoid content, using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The ripe seeded breadfruit Mejwaan contained strikingly rich concentrations of β-carotene (3540 μg/100 g fresh weight). Samples of other ripe and mature cultivars, characterized by lighter-colored flesh, contained medium- to low-carotenoid content ( Mejwaan was once common but is now becoming rare, and that people are now consuming its ripe flesh much less frequently; the discovery of Mejwaan's rich carotenoid content should be used to promote this cultivar for its important health benefits.