Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant Activity and Growth Behavior in Lettuce Cultivars Grown under Field and Greenhouse Conditions

Abstract

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is one of the most important leafy greens worldwide. The nutritional value of its edible leaf depends on different factors including type and growing conditions. The aim was to determine the bioactive compounds content, antioxidant activity and growth behavior of twenty-two lettuce genotypes, cultivated under field and greenhouse conditions. Total phenolic compound, chlorophylls, carotenoids, anthocyanin contents and antioxidant activities were analyzed by spectrophotometric methods. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA). Significant differences between bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity and growth behavior were found among cultivars and morphological types, for both growth conditions. Carotenoid and chlorophyll content was higher in greenhouse conditions for all genotypes. In field production, butterhead and iceberg lettuces showed lower content of these bioactive compounds. The red-pigmented Falbala cultivar from field production showed the highest level of polyphenols and anthocyanin. Meanwhile, in greenhouse conditions, the oak leaf cultivar Grenadine displayed the highest concentration of these phenolic compounds. The iceberg type lettuce showed the lowest percentages of antioxidant activity in both environments. The results showed the effect of growing conditions and the high variability in lettuce bioactive compounds content and antioxidant activity among the different types.

Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activities of Red Oak, Red Coral and Butterhead

“…2015 ). Moreover, the variation of the planting condition such as air, cultivars, harvest, light, minerals, season, soil, temperature and water significantly affected the phenolic and flavonoid contents of plants ( Lanza Volpe et al . 2021 ; Liu et al .…”

“…Lettuce, including crisphead, butterhead, romaine, green oak and red oak, is particularly rich in antioxidants, e.g., phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, vitamins C and vitamin E ( Kim et al . 2016 ; Lanza Volpe et al . 2021 ).…”

Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Selected Pumpkin Cultivars: Impact of Cooking Treatments

“…Meanwhile, other phenolic compounds, such as flavonols, hydrocinnamic acids, and phenyl alcohol, increased. The cooking process can improve the extractability of these phenols either by the inactivation of enzymes related to the degradation of such compounds [11] or the alteration of the matrix in which phenols are embedded, such as the breakdown of the cell wall structure and partial hydrolysis [13].…”

“…The antioxidant activity was based on the evaluation of free radical scavenging activity (DPPH assay) [11]. Trolox was used as standard at the concentration of 50-500 µM.…”

Tocopherols, Phylloquinone, Ascorbic Acid, and Sugar Contents in Hydroponically Grown Lettuce

“…It is unknown if additional testing will be required for these vitamins and germplasm if planted in commercial fields, as research suggests that different nutrients, such as nutritional traits measured as a proxy of b-carotene, have demonstrated variable responses between greenhouse and field cultivation (Hayashi et al 2012;Volpe et al 2020). Nevertheless, certain environmental factors, such as optimal temperatures, may be critical to consider regardless of the production system.…”