Cooking, mashing, and pureeing make the carotene more available for absorption. This is thought to be secondary to rupture of cell membranes. Serum carotene levels are a good index of fat digestion and absorption. Carotene is excreted in the stool, skin, and urine. Etiology Increased dietary content .
Carotene is found in all pigmented fruits and vegetables.
The content may be masked by the presence of chlorophyll. Ripening increases the food content of carotene. Breast milk, carrots, squash, sweet potato, pumpkin, spinach, beans. Also, egg yolks, corn and yams. Homogenizing the food will increase the availability of carotene compared to pureeing.