Total Phenolic Content of Organic and Conventionally Grown Gourd Vegetables

Abstract

The increasing consumers' demands to acquire healthier fruits and vegetables as well as the urgency in looking to natural compounds with Antioxidant Activity (AOA) has encouraged a quick expansion of research studies about phenols in vegetables. Gourd vegetables refer to the fruits of plants in the two Cucurbitaceae genera Lagenaria and Curcubita. There is a diverse source of polyphenols in plant materials. Seven gourd vegetables grown conventionally (CV) were collected from the local market and a set of the same vegetables from certified organic farms (OG). They were analysed for the Total Phenol (TP) content by the Folin-Ciocalteu method using Gallic acid as standard. Earlier each vegetable was extracted with ethanol, methanol and water separately for the estimation of TP. The TP content was expressed as μg of GAE/g of FW. Bitter gourd had the highest amounts of TP in both the conventional (1766.52 μg of GAE/g of FW)) and organic (1962.0 μg of GAE/g of FW)) samples. Conventional gourd vegetables had more TP when compared to organic varieties. Among the solvents, the extraction of phenols was the highest in water followed by methanol and ethanol. Gourd vegetables are widely available and can contribute significant amounts of phenols to the diet.