Vitamin C and Carotenoids in Organic and Conventional Fruits Grown in Brazil ⇑ Pollyanna C
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Elsevier - Publisher Connector Food Chemistry 126 (2011) 411–416 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Food Chemistry journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foodchem Vitamin C and carotenoids in organic and conventional fruits grown in Brazil ⇑ Pollyanna C. Cardoso a, , Ana Paula B. Tomazini b, Paulo C. Stringheta c, Sônia M.R. Ribeiro b, Helena M. Pinheiro-Sant’Ana b a Curso de Nutrição, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Alto Universitário, 29500-000 Alegre, Espírito Santo, Brazil b Departamento de Nutrição e Saúde, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Campus Universitário, 36571-000 Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil c Departamento de Tecnologia de Alimentos, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Campus Universitário, 36571-000 Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil article info abstract Article history: This study compared the concentration of vitamin C (ascorbic acid, AA, and dehydroascorbic acid, DHA) Received 29 January 2010 and carotenoids (lycopene and b-carotene) between three fruits produced by organic and conventional Received in revised form 21 October 2010 farming. Vitamin C and carotenoids were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The Stu- Accepted 31 October 2010 dent t-test (a = 5%) was applied to determine differences between the organic and conventional produc- tion systems. AA content was significantly higher in organic acerola (4023.39 mg/100 g) compared to its conventional production (2294.53 mg/100 g). Conversely, AA content was significantly higher in conven- Keywords: tional strawberries (42.45 mg/100 g) than the organic ones (30.74 mg/100 g). The conventional produc- Organic farming tion also showed significantly higher contents of DHA (persimmon: 7.50 mg/100 g vs. 0.96 mg/100 g) Conventional farming Fruit culture and b-carotene (acerola: 6130.24 lg/100 g vs. 2486.38 lg/100 g) than the organic fruits. Lycopene was Ascorbic acid only detected in persimmons, but no significant difference was observed between farming systems. There Dehydroascorbic acid was no evidence of the nutritional superiority of the organically grown fruits. Provitamin A Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. Open access under the Elsevier OA license. 1. Introduction fruit production has grown significantly over the past few years (Borges & Souza, 2005). Organic agriculture is a holistic production system that pro- Fruits are excellent sources of antioxidant vitamins, as well as motes health and the sustainable development of agroecosystems of other vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, and phytochemicals by obeying biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activ- (Ismail & Fun, 2003). Vitamin C is one of the most important anti- ity using fertilizers of organic origin and renewable energy sources oxidants found in fruits and vegetables (Odriozola-Serrano, (FAO/OMS, 1999; Guzmán Casado & González de Molina, 2009). Hernández-Jover, & Martín-Belloso, 2007). This vitamin is impor- Increasing knowledge and the concern of consumers regarding tant for human nutrition (Hernández, Lobo, & González, 2006) food quality, food safety and environmental protection have led and for the food industry as an additive of processed foods (Rios to an increase in the demand for organic foods over the past few & Penteado, 2003). The main biologically active form of vitamin C years (Magkos, Arvaniti, & Zampelas, 2006; Saba & Messina, 2003). is L-ascorbic acid (AA), but its reversibly oxidised form, dehydro- Apparently, there is a general perception in the population that ascorbic acid (DHA), also presents vitamin activity (Deutsch, organic foods are healthier, tastier and more nutritive than conven- 2000; Lee & Kader, 2000), a fact demonstrating the need for the tionally produced foods (Araújo, Santos, & Monteiro, 2008; Ismail & determination of these compounds in foods to estimate total Fun, 2003; Saba & Messina, 2003). However, scientific evidence is vitamin C value. insufficient to confirm or reject this assumption (Magkos et al., Carotenoids have an important antioxidant potential (Stahl & 2006), since comparative data of the two production systems Sies, 2005), with the main carotenoids being lycopene (Shami & are inadequate or inconsistent due to the heterogeneity of the Moreira, 2004) and b-carotene (Miller, Sampson, Candeias, material and research methodology used (Hoefkens et al., 2009; Bramley, & Rice-Evans, 1996). One of the most important roles Kumpulainen, 2001). of carotenes, especially b-carotene, is its provitamin A activity, Different foods are currently produced by organic farming. considering that vitamin A deficiency is one of the main Although still not completely established, the segment of organic nutritional problems of populations in developing countries (Rodriguez-Amaya, 1989). Data from epidemiological studies have shown an inverse ⇑ Corresponding author. Address: Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Alto Universitário, s/n°, caixa postal 16, Guararema, 29500-000 Alegre, Espírito Santo, association between the consumption of fruits and vegetables Brazil. Tel./fax: +55 028 3552 8960. and the incidence of different diseases such as cardiovascular, E-mail address: [email protected] (P.C. Cardoso). ophthalmological and gastrointestinal diseases, neurodegenerative 0308-8146 Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. Open access under the Elsevier OA license. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2010.10.109 412 P.C. Cardoso et al. / Food Chemistry 126 (2011) 411–416 disorders, and some types of cancer (Van Duyn & Pivonka, 2000). L., var. Oso Grande) fruits were obtained from the São Paulo Furthermore, it has been suggested that the interaction between Company Kórin Agricultura Natural Ltda., located in Atibaia, São different dietary antioxidant compounds such as vitamins C and Paulo, Brazil. The fruits were grown by organic and conventional E and carotenoids, especially lycopene and b-carotene, exerts a farming in the same geographic region (Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil) synergistic effect on free radicals and, consequently, a health under the same climatic conditions and were collected randomly protective effect (Stahl & Sies, 2005). during the harvest season of each fruit throughout 2007. The or- Therefore, the precise and specific determination of the content ganic fruits had a certificate issued by the Motika Okada Certifica- of these nutrients in fruits is extremely important, especially in tion (CMO) service. The fruits were harvested in the partially ripe view of the fact that farming practices may affect their concentra- stage (stage of commercialisation) and properly stored in card- tion in fruits (Lee & Kader, 2000). Despite the need for data regard- board boxes protected against shock. The fruits were transported ing the possible harm and/or health benefits promoted by the overland and arrived at the Laboratory of Vitamin Analysis, Depart- consumption of conventionally and organically grown foods, few ment of Nutrition, Federal University of Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Bra- studies have investigated the nutritional composition of organic zil, within 48 h post-harvest. and conventional fruits (Magkos et al., 2006). Official methods for the analysis of vitamins and carotenoids in 2.3. Experimental design foods, such as spectrophotometry, colorimetric methods and titra- tion procedures (AOAC), have been reported in the literature. How- A completely randomised design consisting of two treatments ever, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPCL) has (organic and conventional production system) and six repetitions emerged over the last years as a high-resolution, precise, reliable per treatment was used. The samples were collected randomly and sensitive method for the analysis of carotenoids and vitamin during the harvest season of each fruit. C in foods (Barba, Hurtado, Mata, Ruiz, & Tejada, 2006; Campos, Ribeiro, Della Lucia, Pinheiro-Sant’Ana, & Stringheta, 2009; Ismail 2.4. Collection, sampling and sample preparation & Fun, 2003; Odriozola-Serrano et al., 2007; Pinheiro-Sant’Ana, Stringheta, Brandão, & Azeredo, 1998). The organic and conventional fruits were collected in such a The objective of the present study was to compare the concen- way to obtain six different repetitions. The production area was tration of vitamin C (AA and DHA) and carotenoids (lycopene and divided into six small plots. In each plot, 2 kg of persimmons and b-carotene) between three organically and conventionally grown 1 kg of acerola and strawberries produced by organic and conven- fruits commonly consumed by the Brazilian population. In this tional farming were collected. The six repetitions were sent to the study, lycopene and b-carotene were analysed because they are laboratory in a single step, corresponding to 12 kg of persimmons the most frequent carotenoids in the fruits studied and because and 6 kg of acerola and strawberries per treatment. of their important role as antioxidants and in the protection of After receiving the fruits, each repetition was subdivided into human health. In addition, b-carotene plays an essential role as a two parts for sample preparation. One half was used for analysis provitamin A carotenoid, considering the fact that hypovitaminosis of vitamin C on the same day and was therefore stored at room A is one of the main public health problems in developing coun- temperature. The other half was stored in a refrigerator at approx- tries such as Brazil. imately 10 °C for sample preparation and analysis of carotenoids on the next day. Persimmons, acerola and strawberries were washed under run-