Ewa Rembiałkowska

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.

Composition differences between organic and conventional meat: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Demand for organic meat is partially driven by consumer perceptions that organic foods are more nutritious than non-organic foods. However, there have been no systematic reviews comparing specifically the nutrient content of organic and conventionally produced meat. In this study, we report results of a meta-analysis based on sixty-seven published studies comparing the composition of organic and non-organic meat products. For many nutritionally relevant compounds (e.g. minerals, antioxidants and most individual fatty acids (FA)), the evidence base was too weak for meaningful meta-analyses. However, significant differences in FA profiles were detected when data from all livestock species were pooled. Concentrations of SFA and MUFA were similar or slightly lower, respectively, in organic compared with conventional meat. Larger differences were detected for total PUFA and n-3 PUFA, which were an estimated 23 (95 % CI 11, 35) % and 47 (95 % CI 10, 84) % higher in organic meat, respectively. However, for these and many other composition parameters, for which meta-analyses found significant differences, heterogeneity was high, and this could be explained by differences between animal species/meat types. Evidence from controlled experimental studies indicates that the high grazing/forage-based diets prescribed under organic farming standards may be the main reason for differences in FA profiles. Further studies are required to enable meta-analyses for a wider range of parameters (e.g. antioxidant, vitamin and mineral concentrations) and to improve both precision and consistency of results for FA profiles for all species. Potential impacts of composition differences on human health are discussed.

Organic food quality: a framework for concept, definition and evaluation from the European perspective.

Consumers buy organic food because they believe in the high quality of the product. Furthermore, the EU legal regulatory framework for organic food and farming defines high quality of the products as an important goal of production. A major challenge is the need to define food quality concepts and methods for determination. A background is described which allows embedding of the quality definitions as well as evaluation methods into a conceptual framework connected to the vision and mission of organic agriculture and food production. Organic food quality is defined through specific aspects and criteria. For evaluation each criterion has to be described by indicators. The determination of indicators should be through parameters, where parameters are described by methods. Conversely, the conceptual framework is described according to underlying principles and starting definitions are given, but further work has do be done on the detailed scientific description of the indicators. Furthermore, parameters have to be defined for the evaluation of suitability of these indicators for organic food production.

The Seasonal Variation in Bioactive Compounds Content in Juice from Organic and Non-organic Tomatoes

A specific objective of this paper was to evaluate seasonal changes in bioactive compounds level (carotenoids and polyphenols) in juice prepared from organic and non-organic tomatoes in Poland. In the examined tomato juice, the content of dry matter, vitamin C, carotenoids as well as polyphenols (by HPLC method) has been measured. The presented results indicate the impact of the growing system and the year of production on the composition of tomato juice. The organic tomato juice contained significantly more beta-carotene, chlorogenic acid, rutin as well as more total phenolic acids, gallic acid, p-coumaric acid, total flavonoids, quercetin-3-O-glucoside and quercetin in comparison with the non-organic. The tomato juice from 2008 contained significantly more carotenoids and some flavonoids compared to the one produced in 2009, which contained significantly more dry matter, vitamin C, as well as quercetin and it derivatives.

Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) and naturally fermented beetroot juices from organic and conventional production: metabolomics, antioxidant levels and anticancer activity

BACKGROUND The aim of the paper was to determine the level of antioxidants and metabolomic fingerprinting in both raw beetroots and naturally fermented beetroot juices from organic (ORG) versus conventional (CONV) production. In addition, the anticancer properties of the fermented beetroot juices were evaluated. RESULTS The obtained results showed that ORG fresh beetroots contained significantly more dry matter, vitamin C and some individual phenolic compounds than CONV beetroots. The content of total phenolic acids was significantly higher in CONV beetroots compared with the ORG ones. The level of flavonoids was similar in ORG and CONV beetroots. There were only slight differences in the chemical composition of ORG and CONV beetroot juices. Metabolomic analysis provided a possibility to distinguish clearly between ORG and CONV fermented beetroot juices. However, this method was less useful in the case of fresh whole beetroots. It was found that anticancer activity was stronger in the case of ORG fermented juices when compared with CONV ones. CONCLUSION The obtained results indicate that ORG- and CONV-produced beetroots and fermented beetroot juices have different chemical properties and different impacts on cancer cells. It is necessary to continue research on this topic in order to confirm and understand the achieved results.

Differences in N uptake and fruit quality between organically and conventionally grown greenhouse tomatoes

Soil-bound intensive greenhouse production has been scrutinized for its sustainability due to contamination of ground water by over-fertilization resulting in leaching of nutrients. As environmental guidelines are becoming more restrictive worldwide, and especially in Europe, many greenhouse growers have converted to more sustainable production systems including rockwool culture with recycled water and organic cropping systems in soil. The increase in popularity of organic production systems has amplified the debate whether organically grown produce is healthier than conventional produce. So far, little is known about the variations in fruit quality associated with production systems for greenhouse grown tomatoes. Thus, two organic (organic fertilization with and without straw amendment) and three conventional tomato cropping systems (regular and increased nutrient solution in rockwool and regular fertilization in soil) were compared in order to evaluate differences in nutrient availability and effects on fruit quality over a three-year period. Three modern medium-sized round tomato cultivars and one old cultivar were compared. There were no significant interactions between cropping systems and cultivars, so that main effects of systems and cultivars could be evaluated. Fruit yields in the organic systems were similar to those obtained in the conventional soil-bound system, but 15% lower than in the regular rockwool system, even though nitrogen concentrations in soil were not limiting in any of the production systems. Frequent organic amendments resulted in higher soil NO32− contents in the organic system without straw than in the other soil-bound systems, indicating that the organic systems were not yet stable in terms of nutrient availability after three years. A fruit quality index, based on the contents of compounds such as lycopene, β-carotene and vitamin C, was similar in all cropping systems. The old cultivar had a significantly higher quality index, but a lower yield than the other cultivars. According to this study, high quality tomatoes can be obtained through proper adjustment of the quantity and the source of nitrogen fertilizers in organic and conventional cropping systems and the use of selected cultivars with a high nutrient use efficiency for organic systems.

Effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on the oxygen cost of exercise and walking performance in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial

Dietary nitrate supplementation has been shown to reduce the oxygen (O2) cost of exercise and enhance exercise tolerance in healthy individuals. This study assessed whether similar effects could be observed in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, 48 participants with T2DM supplemented their diet for 4 days with either nitrate-rich beetroot juice (70ml/day, 6.43mmol nitrate/day) or nitrate-depleted beetroot juice as placebo (70ml/day, 0.07mmol nitrate/day). After each intervention period, resting plasma nitrate and nitrite concentrations were measured subsequent to participants completing moderate-paced walking. Pulmonary gas exchange was measured to assess the O2 cost of walking. After a rest period, participants performed the 6-min walk test (6MWT). Relative to placebo, beetroot juice resulted in a significant increase in plasma nitrate (placebo, 57±66 vs beetroot, 319±110µM; P < 0.001) and plasma nitrite concentration (placebo, 680±256 vs beetroot, 1065±607nM; P < 0.001). There were no differences between placebo juice and beetroot juice for the O2 cost of walking (946±221 vs 939±223ml/min, respectively; P = 0.59) and distance covered in the 6MWT (550±83 vs 554±90m, respectively; P = 0.17). Nitrate supplementation did not affect the O2 cost of moderate-paced walking or improve performance in the 6MWT. These findings indicate that dietary nitrate supplementation does not modulate the response to exercise in individuals with T2DM.

Organic Agriculture 3.0 is innovation with research

Organic agriculture can and should play an important role in solving future challenges in producing food. The low level of external inputs combined with knowledge on sustainablity minimizes environmental contamination and can help to produce more food for more people without negatively impacting our environment. Organic agriculture not only includes farming as a production practice but it also includes processing, trade and consumption. Nevertheless, Organic agriculture must always evolve to overcome emerging challenges. Science-based knowledge attained through dedicated research is required to strengthen organic food and farming as a means to solve future challenges. In 2010, a global discussion about Organic 3.0 was initiated to address current problems our agri-food systems are facing. Many scientifically and practically proven results are already available to make organic agriculture a strong tool to solve some of these challenges. However, the organic agri-food system has to be developed further to fulfill its potential. The contribution of organic agriculture to help solve current problems linked to food security and environmental quality was discussed during the International Society of Organic Agricultural Research (ISOFAR) Symposium “Organic 3.0 is Innovation with Research”, held September 20–22, 2015, in conjunction with the first ISOFAR International Organic Expo, in Goesan County, Republic of Korea. Some of the world’s most active scientists in organic agriculture attended the symposium. This paper is a result of their discussions and aims to give an overview of research conducted and required to strengthen organic agriculture in its ambitions to overcome agronomic challenges, contribute to food security and protect our common environment.

How the organic food system supports sustainable diets and translates these into practice

Organic production and consumption provide a delineated food system that can be explored for its potential contribution to sustainable diets. While organic agriculture improves the sustainability performance on the production side, critical reflections are made on how organic consumption patterns, understood as the practice of people consuming significant amounts of organic produce, may also be taken as an example for sustainable food consumption. The consumption patterns of regular organic consumers seem to be close to the sustainable diet concept of FAO. Certain organic-related measures might therefore be useful in the sustainability assessment of diets, e.g., organic production and organic consumption. Since diets play a central role in shaping food systems and food systems shape diets, the role of organic consumption emerges as an essential topic to be addressed. This role may be based on four important organic achievements: organic agriculture and food production has a definition, well-established principles, public standards, and useful metrics. By 2015, data for organic production and consumption are recorded annually from more than 160 countries, and regulations are in force in more than 80 countries or regions. The organic food system puts the land (agri-cultura) back into the diet; it is the land from which the diet in toto is shaped. Therefore, the organic food system provides essential components of a sustainable diet.

The content of biologically active compounds in some fruits from natural state.

The Content of Biologically Active Compounds in Some Fruits from Natural State The ornamental plants with edible fruits can play several important functions, ensuring food for the wild animals and embellishing city parks, also these fruits contain high level of bioactive compounds and therefore provide valuable endorsement to the everyday diet. The previous studies of chemical composition of such fruits were fragmentary and superficial. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to analyse the content of major bioactive substances in these fruits. The experiment was performed at the Laboratory of Division of Organic Food in 2010. The fruits of rowanberry (Sorbus aucuparia L.), flowering quince (Chaenomeles japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. ex Spach), wild rose (Rosa rugosa Thunb.) and berry apple (Malus baccata) were selected for the study. The content of dry matter (by gravimetric method), vitamin C (by colorimetric method), carotenoids and polyphenols (by HPLC) have been determined. The results collected indicate that the fruits of wild rose were characterized by the highest diversity of biologically active compounds among the species examined. At the same time, in these fruits the highest content of vitamin C, lycopene, gallic acid, D-quercetin glucoside, and myricetin has been found compared to the fruits of the other species tested. The highest content of beta-carotene was typical for rowanberry fruits and they contained chlorogenic and caffeic acids as well as quercetin and luteolin which were not detected in the fruits of the other species. Flowering quince and berry apple fruits contained significantly more lutein in comparison with other unusual fruit species examined. Zawartosc Zwiazków Biologicznie Czynnych w Róznych Owocach Ze Stanu Naturalnego Gatunki roslin ozdobnych majacych jadalne owoce spelniaja wiele funkcji: srodowiskowa (ozdobne owoce stanowia pokarm dla ptaków, szczególnie w okresie zimowym oraz sa dekoracja drzew w parkach miejskich), zdrowotna (owoce zawieraja liczne zwiazki biologicznie czynne, pozytywnie dzialajace na organizm czlowieka), a takze zywieniowa (z owoców mozna wykonywac rózne przetwory stosowane jako dodatki w tradycyjnej kuchni). Dotychczasowe badania skladu chemicznego opisanych owoców sa fragmentaryczne i powierzchowne. Dlatego celem podjetych badan byla szczególowa analiza zawartosci najwazniejszych substancji bioaktywnych w tych owocach. Doswiadczenie wykonano w Laboratorium Zakladu Zywnosci Ekologicznej, w roku 2010. Do badan przeznaczono owoce jarzebu zwyczajnego (Sorbus aucuparia L.), pigwowca japonskiego (Chaenomeles japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. ex Spach), rózy pomarszczonej (Rosa rugosa Thunb.) oraz jabloni jagodowej (Malus baccata). W owocach zmierzono zawartosc suchej masy (PN-R-04013:1988), witaminy C (PN-A-75101-11:1990), karotenoidów (Helsper et al. 2003) oraz polifenoli (Hertog et al. 1992). Otrzymane wyniki wskazuja, ze owoce dzikiej rózy charakteryzowaly sie najwiekszym zróznicowaniem zwiazków biologicznie czynnych, w porównaniu z pozostalymi badanymi gatunkami. Jednoczesnie owoce te zawieraly najwiecej witaminy C, likopenu, kwasu galusowego, D-glikozydu kwercetyny i myrycetyny w porównaniu z owocami pozostalych gatunków. Najwieksza zawartosc beta-karotenu stwierdzono w owocach jarzebu zwyczajnego. Owoce tego gatunku zawieraly tez kwas chlorogenowy, kawowy oraz kwercetyne i luteoline, które to zwiazki nie zostaly wykryte w owocach innych badanych gatunków. W owocach pigwowca japonskiego oraz jabloni jagodowej stwierdzono najwyzsza zawartosc luteiny w porównaniu z pozostalymi badanymi gatunkami.