Assessment of Carrot Production System Using Biologically Active Compounds and Metabolomic Fingerprints

Abstract

Carrot is the most important root vegetable plant produced worldwide, consumed as a food source rich in bioactive compounds. The purpose was to investigate the effect of different farming conditions on the content of those compounds in the roots of Afalon and Cortina carrot cv. and to use metabolomic fingerprinting for the authentication of the carrots. Carotenoids and ascorbic acid (AA) were detected and quantified using the LC method. The characterization and classification of carrot samples according to the production system, variety and plant density were performed using UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS. The metabolomic fingerprints/profiles were measured in positive and negative ionization mode on a reversed-phase analytical column, and the data were processed using the relevant statistical tools. The respective AA levels in Afalon and Cortina were 217–291 and 318–514 mg.kg−1 dry biomass. The main carotenes were β- and α-carotene whose ratio in Afalon and Cortina was 1.3 and 1.2, respectively. A set of 19 compounds detected by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS, selected on the basis of their importance for statistical distribution into individual groups representing a farming system, cultivar, or seeding density, was established and used for the authentication of the carrot samples. These compounds included various saccharides, phenolics, and lipids with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antibiotic activities. The metabolomic data obtained were used for the verification of the farming system in which the carrots were grown.