Pepper mineral composition and sensory attributes as affected by agricultural management

BACKGROUND: Given the contradictory information available concerning the potential beneficial effects of organic production on food quality, there is a need for studies that determine the real effect of cropping systems on fruit quality. A two‐year farm study was therefore conducted to assess differences in the mineral composition and sensory quality of pepper (Capsicum annuum L. cv. Quito) fruits cultivated in organic (O), low‐input (LI) and soilless (SL) systems. Twenty‐four greenhouses were selected following strict criteria in order to reduce the influence of environmental conditions and accurately and realistically reflect commercial production systems. RESULTS: The soil (O and LI) systems provided higher Ca and Mg concentrations than the SL system. In addition, fruit colour was favourably evaluated in green and red peppers from both soil systems. In contrast, SL fruits showed higher firmness in the green stage (related to higher flesh thickness). All fruit parameters that were affected by the cropping system were also affected by the harvesting time. CONCLUSION: The main differences as regards the mineral composition and sensory attributes of the resulting fruit were observed between the soil (O and LI) and SL systems. The benefits of O peppers with respect to LI fruits could only be described as an absence of pesticide residues. Harvesting time can affect fruit composition and quality to a greater extent than cropping system. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Cultivation approach for comparing the nutritional quality of two pepper cultivars grown under different agricultural regimes

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of the cropping system (organic or conventional) and the growth medium (soil or soilless) on the antioxidant content of peppers from Almuden and Quito cultivars. This cultivation study complements a previous farm study. For both cultivars, organic cultivation led to higher fruit lipophilic antioxidant content than conventional management but differences in the hydrophilic fraction were not observed. The effect of the growth medium on pepper composition depended on the studied cultivar. In Almuden, neither the hydrophilic nor the lipophilic fractions were affected by the growth medium, while in Quito most compounds showed higher values in soil-grown plants. Taking into account the results from the present and the previous farm study we conclude that the effect of organic vs. conventional cultivation on pepper quality can be attributed to the different nutritional regimes and other factors associated with the agricultural system. However, both aspects are not necessarily different in organic and conventional commercial crops. The effect of the growth medium (soil or soilless) on pepper quality depended on the cultivar: Almuden was not affected by the growth medium and Quito was seen to be less suitable for soilless cultivation.     

Effect of manure and mineral fertilisation on pepper nutritional quality

BACKGROUND: The influence of farming systems on fruit quality remains controversial and the different aspects associated with each agricultural management system need to be studied separately to elucidate any specific effect on fruit quality. To this end, a greenhouse experiment was conducted to examine the effect of the usual fertilisation guidelines for pepper cultivation on the nutritional quality of fruits (sugars, vitamin C, total phenolic compounds, chlorophylls, total carotenoids and antioxidant activities in the hydrophilic (HAA) and lipophilic (LAA) fractions). Treatments included manure amendment combined with synthetic fertiliser applied at the rates recommended for organic (T1), low‐input (T2) and conventional (T3) practices. RESULTS: Pepper composition was not affected by increasing mineral fertilisation. In addition, treatment had no significant effect on HAA or LAA. The antioxidant activity of both the hydrophilic and lipophilic fractions increased from the green to the red stage of ripening. HAA contributed about 80% of the total antioxidant activity. CONCLUSION: Pepper response to mineral fertilisation seems to be less pronounced than that of other fruits, since antioxidant concentrations did not increase with increasing fertiliser application. Antioxidant activity in pepper was mainly linked to hydrophilic compounds (vitamin C and phenolic compounds). Ripening was the most important factor determining the fruit antioxidant composition. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Antioxidant properties and involved compounds of daylily flowers in relation to maturity

The antioxidant properties of methanol extracts from daylily flowers during maturation were determined with antioxidant assays, including antioxidant activity, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging and reducing power. Antioxidant compounds, such as phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid and β-carotene were also analysed. Significant variation in antioxidant properties and involved compounds was observed between different maturity stages of daylily flowers. The highest antioxidant activity was observed at stage III (flower opening) accompanying the highest content of ascorbic acid and phenolic compounds, while no significant difference of β-carotene contents was observed among the four maturity stages. Four individual phenolics, such as (+)-catechin, chlorogenic acid, rutin and quercetin were identified and quantified by HPLC. (+)-Catechin was the main phenolic compound identified in daylily flowers, accounting for about 74.11% of total phenolics. Overall, daylily flowers at opening stage possess the highest functional benefit and thus would be the appropriate harvesting stage in view of the nutritional consideration.     

Degradation kinetics of total phenolic compounds,capsaicinoids and antioxidant activity in red pepper during hot air and infrared drying process

Degradation kinetics of total phenolic compounds, capsaicinoids and antioxidant activity in red pepper during both hot air drying and infrared drying were investigated, as well as the correlation between antioxidant compounds and antioxidant capacity was discussed in current study. The fractional conversion kinetic and first order kinetic models were proved to describe the changes of total phenolic compounds vs. drying time and moisture content, respectively. Degradation of capsaicinoids and antioxidant capacity vs. drying time and moisture content both followed fractional conversion kinetic model. Infrared drying accelerated the degradation rate of total phenolic compounds and capsaicinoids vs. drying time as compared with hot air drying at the same temperature; however, a contrary result was found that infrared drying decreased the degradation rate of both total phenolic compounds and capsaicinoids vs. moisture content. Total phenolic compounds exhibited a stronger relationship with antioxidant capacity of red pepper analysed by multiple linear regression analysis.     

Effect of natural biostimulants on yield and nutritional quality: an example of sweet yellow pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants

BACKGROUND: Modifications in growing techniques can affect the yield and nutritional quality of various cultivated plant species. Owing to its high nutritional value, pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) was used in this study as a model plant to investigate the effect of natural biostimulants on yield and fruit quality parameters under conditions of reduced fertilisation. RESULTS: A positive influence of biostimulant treatment on yield parameters was observed. The overall increase in the pigment content of leaves after biostimulant application agreed well with the higher total and commercial yields of treated pepper cultivars compared with their controls. The results showed that natural biostimulants had a positive effect on the vitamin C and total phenolic contents in pepper fruits during the hot summer season. The 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′‐azinobis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonate) (ABTS) antioxidant activities were also significantly higher (P < 0.05) in treated plants and correlated strongly with all measured quality parameters except total phenolic content. CONCLUSION: Generally, biostimulants improved the antioxidant activity, vitamin C and phenolic contents in fruits as well as the pigment content in leaves of treated compared with non‐treated pepper plants grown hydroponically. Thus the application of biostimulants could be considered as a good production strategy for obtaining high yields of nutritionally valuable vegetables with lower impact on the environment. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Characterisation of antioxidant compounds in sweet bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) under organic and conventional growing systems

BACKGROUND: Sweet red bell pepper is one of the best sources of ascorbic acid and carotenoids as well as phenolic compounds important in the human diet. There have been some studies showing a higher level of bioactive compounds in organic bell pepper fruits compared with conventional fruits, but not all studies have been consistent in this respect. The levels of carotenoids and phenolics are very variable and may be affected by ripeness, genotype and cultivation. RESULTS: The results obtained in this study showed that an organic growing system affected the level of bioactive compounds (carotenoids and polyphenols) in sweet bell pepper fruits cultivated in Poland. Organic bell pepper fruits contained significantly more dry matter, vitamin C, total carotenoids, β‐carotene, α‐carotene, cis‐β‐carotene, total phenolic acids (as well as individual gallic and chlorogenic acids) and flavonoids (quercetin D ‐glucoside, quercetin and kaempferol) compared with conventional fruits. The bell pepper variety also affected the level of antioxidant compounds in fruits. CONCLUSION: Organic growing increased the level of antioxidant compounds such as carotenoids, phenolic compounds and vitamin C in sweet bell pepper. The second significant factor affecting the antioxidant compound content of sweet bell pepper was variety. It would be necessary to continue this study as a long‐term experiment in order to eliminate the influence of seasonality. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Is there any difference between the phenolic content of organic and conventional tomato juices?

The present study aims to compare the phenolic and hydrophilic antioxidant profiles of organically and conventionally produced tomato juices. Comparisons of analyses of archived samples from conventional and organic production systems demonstrated statistically higher levels (P < 0.05) of phenolic compounds in organic tomato juices. This increase corresponds not only with increasing amounts of soil organic matter accumulating in organic plots but also with reduced manure application rates once soils in the organic systems had reached equilibrium levels of organic matter. Using principal component analysis, results show that phenolic compounds and hydrophilic antioxidant capacity were responsible for the differentiation between organic and conventional tomato juices. Thus, there appear to be genuine differences in the bioactive components of organic and conventional tomato juices not previously reported.     

Effects of temperature on the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of three strawberry cultivars

Three strawberry cultivars (Dover, Campineiro, and Oso Grande), grown in the same commercial plantation, were harvested at the ripe stage and stored at 6, 16 and 25 °C, for 6 days. During this period, chemical composition and antioxidant activity were evaluated. Results showed an increase in total soluble sugars, anthocyanin and vitamin C contents, indicating that a new biosynthesis had taken place during storage. Low temperature negatively affected anthocyanin and vitamin C accumulation, and positively affected soluble sugars, while flavonols, ellagic acid and total phenolic contents remained almost the same or even decreased at all temperatures. Despite differences in anthocyanin content between varieties and its increase during storage (higher with increasing temperature), there was no difference in the antioxidant activity between cultivars, which decreased after harvesting, independently of the temperature of storage. Variations in the proportion dehydroascorbic acid/ascorbic acid (DHA/AA) showed that there were differences between cultivars concerning adaptation of the fruit to low temperatures. The data obtained here indicate that cold storage is an effective way to maintain strawberry quality, but a compromise between sensorial and nutritional values can be achieved at 16 °C, for all the cultivars.     

Changes in the contents of antioxidant compounds in pepper fruits at different ripening stages,as affected by salinity

The interest in the consumption of pepper fruits (Capsicum annuum L.) is, to a large extent, due to its content of bioactive nutrients and their importance as dietary antioxidants. A greenhouse experiment was carried out to determine the effects of salinity and different ripening states of pepper fruits on several compounds with antioxidant properties. Fruits from plants grown under three saline treatments (0, 15, and 30 mM NaCl) were collected at three maturity states (green, turning, and red). Antioxidant activity in the hydrophilic (HAA) and lipophilic (LAA) fractions, lycopene, β-carotene, ascorbic acid, total phenolic compounds and reducing sugars were determined. From the nutritional point of view, the red state was the most appropriate state of maturation, since red peppers had the highest levels of lycopene, β-carotene, and sugars and the highest antioxidant activity for both hydrophilic and lipophilic fractions. The effect of salinity depended on the maturity state of the peppers: it had no effect on HAA, β-carotene or sugars, but decreased ascorbic acid and total phenolic compounds, and increased LAA and lycopene. The use of a moderately-saline water was beneficial when peppers were harvested in the red state, by increasing HAA and LAA in fruits, with no significant effects on other parameters.     

The effect of environmental conditions on nutritional quality of cherry tomato fruits: evaluation of two experimental Mediterranean greenhouses

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine how different environmental factors (temperature, solar radiation, and vapour‐pressure deficit [VPD]) influenced nutritional quality and flavour of cherry tomato fruits (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. Naomi) grown in two types of experimental Mediterranean greenhouses: parral (low technology) and multispan (high technology). RESULTS: Fruits were sampled three times during 3 years (2004, 2005 and 2006): at the beginning, middle and end of the fruit production period. Values for temperature, solar radiation, and VPD peaked in the third sampling in both greenhouses; values were higher in the parral‐type greenhouse, triggering abiotic stress. This stress reduced the accumulation of lycopene and essential elements, augmenting the phytonutrient content and the antioxidant capacity of tomatoes. During the third sampling, sugars were increased while organic acid content diminished, producing tomatoes with a sweeter‐milder flavour. The parral greenhouse produced tomatoes with higher phenolic compounds and ascorbic acid contents, together with a greater antioxidant capacity, without showing differences in flavour parameters. CONCLUSION: The higher phytonutrients content and antioxidant activity during the environmental stress, more pronounced in parral than multispan greenhouse, together with the sweeter‐milder flavour, conferred a notable nutritional benefit, which considerably improved the nutritional and organoleptic quality of these tomatoes. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Stability, antioxidant activity and phenolic composition of commercial and reverse osmosis obtained dealcoholised wines

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the phenolic profile and the antioxidant activity of commercial dealcoholised wines and monitor the stability of their composition over time. This work also aims to test the influence of reverse osmosis (RO) process on phenolic compounds and on the antioxidant activity (AA) of dealcoholised wine.AA was measured by ORAC, DPPH and FRAP assays. Phenolic compounds were determined by LC-DAD.In the commercial dealcoholised wines, AA fell by between 33% and 54% and the concentration of phenolic compounds decreased significantly after 30 days of storage. However, RO process did not significantly affect any phenolic acids, regardless of their chemical structure (benzoic acids, cinnamic acids) and alcoholic degree. The AA and phenolic compounds of these products were monitored for seven months. No significant changes were observed. RO process therefore makes it possible to obtain a healthy, low-alcohol (<2% v/v) product with bioactive compounds that are stable in the product and are similar to those found in the original wine.     

Nutritional quality and antioxidant activity of marama-sorghum composite flours and porridges

Marama bean, an underutilised legume in southern Africa, is a good source of protein, fat and phenolic compounds, the latter known to have potential health benefits. Marama flours, sorghum meal, marama-sorghum composite flours and porridges were analysed for proximate composition, amino acid composition, energy value, fatty acid composition, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. Compositing sorghum meal (70%) with marama flours (30%) significantly increased the protein and fat contents in flours and porridges. Energy values of marama-sorghum composite porridges were 11-24% higher than sorghum porridge. Lysine content was 3-4 times higher in marama-sorghum porridges than in sorghum porridge. There was an increase in oleic acid as sorghum meal was composited with marama flour. There was a positive correlation between the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity in all samples. Use of marama flour in sorghum composite flours and porridges improved the nutritional quality and antioxidant activity.     

Phenolics and antioxidative activities in common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L)

Six bean cultivars grown in southern Manitoba for 2 years were evaluated for variability in yield of millstreams and phenolic constituents. The ethanolic extract of bean cultivars and millstreams was screened for antioxidant activity using the β‐carotene‐linoleate and the 1, 1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) in vitro model systems. Cultivar was the main source of variation for yield of millstreams, content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities. Phenolic compounds in cultivars varied from 3.3 to 16.6 mg catechin equivalent and from 0.15 to 0.32 mg cyanidin‐3‐glucoside equivalent g^?1 bean for total phenolic and anthocyanin contents, respectively. The bean cultivars exhibited antioxidant activity (AA) of 10–46% inhibition of lipid peroxidation in the linoleate and 0.4–1.3 trolox equivalent antioxidant capacities (TEAC) in the DPPH model systems. The hull millstream with maximum concentration of phenolic compounds exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity of 383 µM trolox equivalent g^?1 hull. Total phenolic content, alone or in combination with other phenolic constituents, is a potential candidate as a selection criterion for antioxidant activity in beans. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Selecting new peach and plum genotypes rich in phenolic compounds and enhanced functional properties

Fourteen red-fleshed plum (Prunus salicina Erhr. and hybrids) and eight peach [Prunus persica (Batsch) L.] genotypes were characterized for their total phenolic and anthocyanin contents. Selected rich phenolic genotypes showed high antioxidant activity, stable colour properties and good antimicrobial activity. Results indicated positive correlations between phenolic compounds (r² = 0.83) and antioxidant activity for both types of fruit. Colorants prepared from an anthocyanin rich plum genotype showed similar hue to that of synthetic colorant FD&C red 3 and higher stability than a commercial red grape colorant with respect to time, temperature and pH. Additionally, a selected rich phenolic plum genotype exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against Salmonella Enteritidis and Escherichia coli O157:H7. This study proposes that selection of crops high in phenolic compounds can be related to enhanced functional properties and opens the possibility of breeding fruits with targeted functional properties for the fresh produce and processing market.     

Metabolomic approach for understanding phenolic compounds and melanoidin roles on antioxidant activity of Indonesia robusta and arabica coffee extracts

Our experiments investigated roles of phenolic compounds and melanoidins on antioxidant activity of Indonesia robusta and arabica coffee extracts. The 2,2,-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and a ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method were used to determine the antioxidant activity. An increase in the roasting degree (green, light, medium, and dark) reduced phenolic compounds and the antioxidant activity of coffee extracts, but enhanced melanoidin content. Principle component analysis (PCA) demonstrated that phenolic compounds showed stronger effects on antioxidant activity of coffee extracts in comparison with melanoidins. This finding was supported by the results of metabolomic fingerprint by partial least square (PLS), which describes the correlation of functional groups of coffee extracts on antioxidant activity. Based on the PLS analysis, hydroxyl groups (O–H) were observed to show a positive correlation, but carbonyl (C=O) and amine (N–H) groups were attributed to a negative correlation on antioxidant activity of coffee extracts.     

Antioxidant activity of sage (Salvia officinalis and S fruticosa) and oregano (Origanum onites and O indercedens) extracts related to their phenolic compound content

In this study the antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts of oregano and sage samples was tested. Samples of oregano belonged to Origanum onites and O indercedens species, whilst samples of sage belonged to Salvia officinalis and S fruticosa species. Two methods were used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of sage and oregano extracts: the crocin test and the Rancimat test. The methanolic extracts were also analysed by HPLC for the qualitative/quantitative determination of phenolic compounds. The total phenolic compound content of oregano samples showed no significant differences between the two species, but rosmarinic acid was present in higher amount in O indercedens. Carvacrol content sharply differentiated flowers from leaves. Samples of O indercedens had a higher antioxidant activity evaluated by the crocin test, whereas no differences were evidenced by the Rancimat test. For sage samples, carnosic acid and methyl carnosate showed a significant difference between the two species, with S fruticosa samples having a higher content than S officinalis samples. Samples of S fruticosa also had a higher antioxidant activity evaluated by the crocin test. The antioxidant activities of sage samples were, on average, higher than those of oregano samples. Some samples of sage had a very high antioxidant activity, with induction times more than 10‐fold higher than that of lard used as the reference sample. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

基于UPLC-QTOF-MS和HPLC-QQQ-MS技术的鹰嘴豆酚类化合物定性、定量分析及其抗氧化能力研究

鹰嘴豆为一种高营养豆类植物。为深入了解其营养价值,用80%甲醇溶液提取酚类物质,对提取物中不同存在形态的酚类化合物及其抗氧化活性进行测定,并对其提取物进行酚类的定性及定量分析。结果表明,酚酸含量最高部分为糖苷键合态酚类物质(0.81 mg/g),黄酮含量最高部分为游离态酚类物质(0.26 mg/g),不同存在形式酚类物质含量及抗氧化能力不同;80%甲醇提取物通过UPLC-QTOF-MS定性分析,对其24种化合物进行鉴定,包括12种黄酮、4种酚酸;HPLC-QQQ-MS定量分析表明:对羟基苯甲酸、香豆酸、原儿茶酸类化合物含量丰富。     

Compositional characterisation of some apple varieties

 Ten apple varieties, harvested at commercial maturity, were analysed, paying special attention to the level of phenolic compounds and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity. The results pointed to great quantitative differences in the composition of the apple varieties, and particularly in their phenolic contents. Their total polyphenol content ranged from 2.3 to 3.6 g/kg. Chlorogenic acid was the main phenolic compound found in the varieties studied, and its concentrations varied from 30 to 430 mg/kg, and were 4–20 times higher than those of catechins. Only in Szampion and Elstar were the concentrations of catechins higher. Amongst the flavanol monomers, the main compound was (–)epicatechin, whose concentration varied from 18 to 89 mg/kg. The (+)catechin concentration ranged from 4 to 21 mg/kg. The dominant proanthocyanidins were oligomers up to trimers. In Warta apples, the concentrations of these oligomers were about 3 times higher than those of monomers. The level of PPO activity ranged from 270 units (U)/g in Szampion to 3120 U/g in Warta. No correlation was found between the concentrations of certain phenolic compounds, nor between PPO activity and phenolic or ascorbic acid concentrations. The results gave important information regarding the best use of the apple varieties investigated, i.e. for direct consumption due to their high nutritional value, or for processing. Received: 7 May 1999     

Effect of thermal treatments on phytochemicals in conventionally and organically grown berries

BACKGROUND: Consumer demand for organic foods is increasing despite a lack of conclusive evidence of nutritional superiority of organically grown produce. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of thermal treatments on phytochemicals in conventionally and organically grown berries. Two cultivars of conventionally and organically grown red raspberries and blueberries were analysed for total anthocyanins, total and specific phenolic compounds and total antioxidant activity. Fresh berries were thermally processed into cans and juice/puree with and without blanching, and the changes in phytochemicals were monitored. RESULTS: Total anthocyanin and phenolic contents of berries were not influenced by the agricultural production system. Total antioxidant activity of berries was also not influenced by the production system, but antioxidant activity varied significantly between cultivars. After canning, total anthocyanins decreased by up to 44%, while phenolic contents and antioxidant activity of both berries generally increased by up to 50 and 53% respectively. The level of changes in phytochemicals during berry puree/juice processing was influenced by blanching and type of berries. CONCLUSION: Phenolic contents and antioxidant activities of berries increased while total anthocyanins decreased during canning. Blanching prior to puree/juice processing improved the retention of phytochemicals in blueberries. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry