Abstract
The objective of this research was to compare the physical and chemical characteristics and antioxidant activity of organic and conventional carrot (Daucus carota), green pepper (Capsicum annuum) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa). Five representative samples of conventional vegetables, certified organic and non-certified organic vegetables were gotten from farms and supermarkets in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The result shows that the organic carrot showed higher acidity (0.11 g % citric acid) and total sugar (5.68 g %) than those found in standard samples and certified organic ones (p 0.05). It was observed that the vitamin C levels in carrot samples levels had no significant difference between the different forms of production (p>0.05). Conventional lettuce and certified organic pepper showed higher vitamin C than the other samples (p 0.05). Carrot and green pepper, with seal certification or not, showed higher capacity to reduce DPPH than the conventional ones, this suggests that the form of cultivation has a direct relationship with the nutritional values of the vegetables. Key words: Carrot, lettuce, green pepper; organic, conventional, antioxidant activity, physico-chemical analysis.
Highlights
IntroductionSome diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and stroke could be prevented by a regular daily consumption of fruits and vegetables (WHO, 2004)
The result shows that the organic carrot showed higher acidity (0.11 g % citric acid) and total sugar (5.68 g %) than those found in standard samples and certified organic ones (p
The antioxidant activity of the samples was analysed by the capacity to reduce the DPPH (1,1diphenyl-2-picryl- hydrazyl) radical, in which carrot and conventional pepper showed lower antioxidant activity (p
Summary
Some diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and stroke could be prevented by a regular daily consumption of fruits and vegetables (WHO, 2004). The role of antioxidants in the prevention of various chronic diseases, delaying and inhibiting the oxidation of lipids and other molecules has been an established fact. They neutralize free radicals and thereby prevent many non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. There are many herbs and spices that are a rich source of antioxidants (Waman and Karanjalker, 2010) and play pivotal role in the prevention of such diseases
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