The potential of food processing technologies to improve bioavailability of carotenoids from carrots-a pilot study in volunteers with ileostomy

Participants consume a basal diet low in natural carotenoids throughout the 4 days trial period of each week( Monday to Thursday) and on test days consume one of the 4 test foods (carrot soup). There are 2 control days and 2 test food days on 2 consecutive weeks Participants are required to follow the low carotenoid basal diet for a period of 4 days each week for 2 consecutive weeks. This diet is supplied by CSIRO from specially selected foods to restrict the intake of carotenoid containing foods such as carrots, oranges and tomatoes to a daily dose of <650ug. For each of the test foods the participants will be required to eat a single 300mL serve of the carrot soup containing ~15 mg carotenoids along with 2 slices of white bread and 10g of butter. There will be a 3 day wash-out period between trial periods (from Friday one week to Monday the following week). In each week each participant would randomly have 2 of the test foods on any of the 4 days within that week. The remaining 2 days are control days during which the participants consume only the basal diet with low carotenoids as supplied by CSIRO. During the following week the participants would be required to have the remaining 2 test foods on randomly selected days with the 2 remaining days being control days as described above.