Monica Kowal

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Research Paper

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What are the effects on nutrient retention when using
different cooking techniques such as steaming,
microwaving, and boiling?

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Monica Kowal

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INTRODUCTION

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Cooking has been used for thousands of years to help people digest food more easily,
limit the risk of parasites in meat, and to soften foods such as whole grains and tough vegetables.
Although cooking vegetables have its perks, they also have a great impact on the benefits these
sources of nutrients have to offer. When heat is applied to specific vegetables like broccoli, for a
long period of time, many cancer-fighting enzymes are demolished. One enzyme is known as
glucosinolates. These enzymes are known to be potent cancer-preventative agents because of
their ability to induce detoxification enzymes, such as quinone reductase, which get rid of
carcinogens from the body and detoxify.1
Not only is a vegetable complete with numerous phytochemical compounds, it contains
many vitamins and minerals as well. Carrots, broccoli, and radishes are some of many
vegetables we will be focusing on when analyzing which cooking method retains the most
nutrients. Folate, Calcium, Potassium, and Magnesium are different types of nutrients found in
vegetables. However, majority of the studies focus on the negative effects of ascorbic acid
(vitamin C), chlorophyll, and carotenoids such as beta-carotene and alpha-carotene when applied
to different cooking methods. The purpose of this paper is to explore studies that explain the
effects of different cooking techniques; steaming, microwaving, and boiling on the retention of
nutrients in vegetables, specifically, broccoli, carrots, beans, radishes, and tomatoes.2

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ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS

Monica Kowal

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Vegetables are imperative components in our diet because they are sources of vitamins
and minerals and carry antioxidant properties that are valuable to our health. When utilizing
different cooking methods like steaming, microwaving, and boiling these vitamins are lost during
the process. According to Roy et al. (2009), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), beta-Carotene and other
carotenoids present in vegetables act as natural antioxidants in oxidative stress and prevent
development of chronic diseases.3 Throughout this paper, the retention rate on essential
nutrients; Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), Chlorophyll, and carotenoids such as beta-Carotene, alphaCarotene, and lycopene will be observed during each cooking technique.
Broccoli and carrots, two of the main vegetables being evaluating, are some of many
sources that contain Vitamin C. Ascorbic acid is beneficial to human health and disease because
its major role assists in preventing and relieving the common cold. Naidu (2003) discusses one
specific trial on the effect of ascorbic acid after cold symptoms have occurred, verifying that
larger doses of the vitamin C show evidence of greater benefits with a larger dose as opposed to
a smaller one. 4,5
Another source that promotes a better health are carotenoids. Johnson (2002) explains
how dietary carotenoids such as beta-carotene and lutein, are thought to provide aid in
preventing diseases like certain cancers and eye disease. Lutein has the ability to absorb harmful
blue lights that enter the eyes and beta-Carotene has the ability to transform into vitamin A.
Vitamin A is essential for a healthy immune system, cell growth, and good vision. 6 Carotenoids
including beta and alpha-carotene are pigments that are naturally synthesized by plants and are

Monica Kowal
the key ingredient for what gives fruits and vegetables their bright colors, ranging from red to
yellow.6,7
Chlorophyll is found in any plant that embodies the color green. It is defined as a
naturally occurring molecule that gives plants their green color. This molecule is responsible for
the process of photosynthesis. Dark, leafy sources like kale and arugula contain a larger amount
of chlorophyll because of its darker shade of green. Some healthy benefits of chlorophyll
consumption include fighting infections, a great detoxifier, and its quick rejuvenation of cells due
to being rich in enzymes. Chlorophyll also helps our digestive system and immune system.8

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COOKING METHODS AND NUTRIENT RETENTION

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Boiling

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When examining the holdings of vegetable nutrient retention during the boiling method,
the study on effects of different cooking methods on health-promoting compounds of broccoli,
executed by Yuan et al. (2009), was performed three different times in a randomized way. 200 g
of cognate pieces of broccoli were submerged in 400 ml of boiling water, which instantly
resulted in boiling. After being boiled for 5 minutes, the pieces of broccoli were drained and
evaluated. The effect of boiling on chlorophyll resulted in a 27% reduction in broccoli,
justifying that the boiling technique decreased the highest amount of chlorophyll compared to

Monica Kowal
other methods such as microwaving (16%) and steaming, which hardly showed any signs of
chlorophyll alteration. 9
Reviewing the effect of boiling on Vitamin C, it concluded in a dramatic loss of ascorbic
acid. As stated by Yuan et al. (2009), the second greatest amount of Vitamin C loss was seen
after boiling broccoli (33%). That being said, boiling also lost 13% of total carotenoids. This
study shows that preparing broccoli with a domestic cooking technique such as boiling,
significantly effects the nutrient and beneficial compounds it contains. Boiling broccoli resulted
in a tremendous loss of chlorophyll and vitamin C. Along with stir-frying/boiling, the boiling
method caused the only loss of total carotenoids compared to other cooking methods. 9

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Steaming

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During the study conducted by Siqueira de Oliveira et al. (2012), steaming was one of
many cooking techniques that were demonstrated to help evaluate the retention of vitamin C and
carotenoids in vegetables such as broccoli and carrots. Researchers used a T-Fal Steam-cuisine 700 pot and steamed the vegetables for 25 minutes, at a temperature of 100C. Closed with a lid,
the vegetables were placed in the top part of the cooking device and steamed through small holes
on its surface. The retention rate/percentage of vitamin C and carotenoids when steaming carrots
showed 44.95% in ascorbic acid, 46.16% in Lutein, 18.73% in alpha-Carotene, and 29.20% in
beta-Carotene. In broccoli, 70.14% of vitamin C, 85.28% of Lutein, 100% of alpha-Carotene,
and 100% of beta-Carotene were retained. Completing this study, steaming had the best
retention rate for alpha and beta-Carotene in broccoli. 10

Monica Kowal
An additional study done on steaming and nutrient retention was also performed by
Dewanto et al. (2002). The purpose of this experiment was to show that sometimes applying
some form of heat to vegetables and fruits such as steaming, doesnt always mean you are
destroying its nutrients. They preform a study on tomatoes and evaluated its ascorbic acid and
lycopene content. Ten kilograms of tomatoes were purchased from a local supermarket, sliced,
and blended in a cooker before any further action. The outcome of each tomato after being
applied to a specific cooking method was compared to its raw form.11
When focusing only on steaming, we see that the tomato sample loses 10.2% vitamin C
within the first 2 minutes of the process. At 15 minutes, it loses about 15.5% of its withholdings
of vitamin C. Finally, at 30 minutes, 29.4% of the vitamin C is lost during the steaming process
at 88C. The most interesting part of this experiment were the final results for lycopene content.
At 2 minutes, the carotenoid activity went up 54.4% and up to 171.1% at 15 minutes. The final
product had a 164.3% retention rate for lycopene.11 It was reported by Shi et al. (2000), that
food processing such as steaming might improve lycopene bioavailability by breaking down cell
walls.12

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Microwaving

There are many types of domestic cooking methods which we resort to quite often, but
one that is gradually growing all over the world is the microwave method. Its convenience in the
speed at which it works is about ten to twenty times faster than traditional cooking methods such
as conventional cooking according to Kala et al. (2005). Their study compares and evaluates the

Monica Kowal
nutrient composition of four vegetables cooked by different methods, one which includes
microwaving. In this experiment, researchers looked over commonly eaten vegetables; radishes
and beans. These vegetables were cut into 1.0 x 1.0 cm pieces and applied to different types of
cooking treatments. For the microwaving process, the vegetables were put into individual
circular glass bowls with lids then microwaved.13
The beans contained 150 ml of water and were cooked for 25 minutes. The radishes had
100 ml of water added to their container and were cooked for 25 minutes as well. After
employing 1200 watts using high power, these vegetables were then analyzed. When estimating
the ascorbic acid retention, Kala and other researchers used a visual titrimetric method by using
2,6-dichlorophenol indopenol dye. Microwaving fell second to pressure cooking when taking a
closer look at vitamin C and its destruction to heat. Another result of microwaving these
vegetables showed moisture loss compared to other methods. 13

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FUTURE METHODS OF RETAINING NUTRIENTS

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As technology grows, so do the future techniques and ideas that help preserve the
nutrients in fruits and vegetables. Vegetables are in no doubt, a vital component in maintaining a
healthy diet. According to Barrett et al. (2011), one advanced preservation method which helps
protect nutrient retention is high pressure preservation. High pressure preservation (HPP) is a
non-thermal food preservation technique that meets the demands of keeping vegetables natural,
fresh tasting, and help maintain its quality. This process avoids additives and preservatives and

Monica Kowal
extends the shelf life of vegetables and fruits.14,15 In the Sanchez-Moreno et al. (2009) study, the
vegetables being observed showed a stability to preservation by HPP in vitamin A and total
carotenoids. The vegetables vitamin A and total carotenoid count were either unaffected or
increased by using high pressure. After a 600 MPa/20 Celsius/15 min treatment, carrots, for
example, had a 58% increase in total carotenoids compared to its raw stage.17 Microwave,
ohmic, & electric field preservation. 15
Another method of preserving nutrients in vegetables is called Irradiation. There are two
main factors in this process and they consist of a source of radiant energy and finding a way to
bind that energy. Irradiation is very useful in many ways. Not only does it preserve the product
by destroying anything that could effect its shelf life, it does not require any additional
preservatives to hold together the texture, flavor, color, and natural juices. This nutrient
conserving method also sterilizes, controls sprouting, ripening and insect damage, and also
prevents food borne illnesses.16

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CONCLUSION

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When concluding each and every study performed on steaming, boiling, and
microwaving and its nutrient retention, we have many different results. In the study conducted
with Yuan et al. (2009), it showed that steaming had the least effects on broccolis chlorophyll
and vitamin C content, meaning it had the most nutrient retention. The most carotenoid and
vitamin C lost in this experiment was during the boiling/stir-frying method. Boiling followed

Monica Kowal
right behind the boiling/stir-frying method with a loss of 33% in ascorbic acid. The chlorophyll
content in broccoli had a reduction of 27% when boiling. Looking over the results of the case
study performed by Siqueira de Oliveira et al. (2012), steaming had the best retention rate for
alpha and beta-Carotene in broccoli. Both results of nutrient retention added up to 100%.
Steaming tomatoes with Dewanto et al. (2002) also showed an increase in Lycopene.
Although there were different results from each case study, it is not hard to interpret
which domestic cooking treatment had the greatest and least nutrient retention. Each type of
vegetable had a different retention rates. In all studies, boiling vegetables reduced the greatest
amount of total carotenoids and vitamin C. Siqueira de Oliveira et al. (2012) documented that
microwaving carrots showed the highest retention rate of alpha and beta-carotene and ascorbic
acid. Microwaving beans and radishes produced the second greatest destruction in ascorbic acid
in the study with Kala et al. (2005).
Trying to distinguish which type of cooking technique absorbed and lost the most
nutrients may be inconclusive due to alloyed results from each case study. However, steaming
vegetables in each experiment showed the least amount of damage done to most vegetables.
Boiling vegetables definitely had a major impact on ascorbic acid and the carotenoids found in
certain vegetables. Each study clearly speculated that these techniques greatly affect the nutrient
and health promoting compounds in vegetables.
The application of knowledge in using the proper cooking methods when cooking
vegetables may prove to be useful in advancing healthier food products for the population.
Simply understanding the nutritional content of vegetables and utilizing them to consume the
greatest amount of nutrients possible can help reduce many illnesses and benefit your health.

Monica Kowal
Vitamin C, carotenoids, and chlorophyll are some of many nutrients that help promote healthier
skin, a stronger immune system, and in some cases, even fight cancer.

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Monica Kowal
REFERENCES

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Monica Kowal
10.) Siqueira de Oliveira, L., Machado Pinto-e-Silva, ME., Vitamin retention in vegetables
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