Nutritional value of commercial and traditional lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and wild relatives: Vitamin C and anthocyanin content

Medina-Lozano, Inés; Bertolín, Juan Ramón; Díaz, Aurora

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129864

Cited by 58 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Similar to phenols, the red varieties CL4 and L11 stood out from the rest. Similarly, when comparing our results to those of other authors [27,46,47], the obtained values, especially those in landraces, regarding the vitamin C content were higher for our varieties to to equivalent ones in terms of the lettuce type, based mainly on the color or head structure, in other articles. These results are similar to the vitamin C values obtained for other species: peas (30.9 mg 100 g −1 FW), spinach (31.6 mg 100 g −1 FW), green beans (15.1 mg 100 g −1 FW) [48], grapefruit (39.0 mg 100 g −1 FW), banana (11.1 mg 100 g −1 FW), and mango (37.0 mg 100 g −1 FW) [49].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

The Nutritional Quality Potential of Microgreens, Baby Leaves, and Adult Lettuce: An Underexploited Nutraceutical Source

Martínez-Ispizua

Calatayud

Marsal

et al. 2022

Foods

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Interest in the cultivation of lettuce landraces is increasing because native varieties, as high-quality products, are particularly attractive to consumers. Lettuce is a popular leafy vegetable worldwide, and interest in the consumption of first leaves (microgreens) and seedlings (baby leaves) has grown due to the general belief that young plants offer higher nutritional value. The content of some bioactive compounds and antioxidants (chlorophylls, carotenoids, anthocyanins, ascorbic acid, phenols, antioxidant activity) was monitored in six lettuce landraces and five commercial varieties, and compared across three development stages: microgreen, baby, and adult. Ascorbic acid and phenolic contents were 42% and 79% higher, respectively, in the early stages than in adult lettuces, and red-leaf varieties (CL4 and L11) stood out. This finding agrees with lettuce’s marked antioxidant capacity and correlates with its pigment contents, especially anthocyanins. The nutritional value of adult lettuce is conditioned by its size, shape, and head structure as phytochemical concentrations are regulated by light. The low content of ascorbic acid, phenolics, and anthocyanins in crisphead lettuce (CL5) is a clear example (49, 67%, and 27% lower, respectively, than the adult mean). Our results indicate the wide variability of lettuces’ nutritional characteristics and emphasize that traditional varieties are a helpful source of agricultural biodiversity.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

The Nutritional Quality Potential of Microgreens, Baby Leaves, and Adult Lettuce: An Underexploited Nutraceutical Source

Martínez-Ispizua

Calatayud

Marsal

et al. 2022

Foods

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“…(Tables 1 and 3). Comparing the AsA content in non-mechanically treated lettuce (control sample) with the results of the study by the authors Medina-Lozano et al [29], we can generally conclude that slightly higher values were obtained in this study; however, compared to the study by van Treuren et al [30], lower values were found in this study. Furthermore, the AsA content in the control green chicory samples ((GC-MC0), without mechanical treatment) analyzed in this study was higher than that reported in other literature data [31,32].…”

Section: Specialized Metabolites Contentsupporting

confidence: 51%

“…Furthermore, the AsA content in the control green chicory samples ((GC-MC0), without mechanical treatment) analyzed in this study was higher than that reported in other literature data [31,32]. The reason for this wide dispersion of results is mainly due to the genetic characteristics of the varieties themselves, which are most commonly used for cultivation for commercial purposes [29][30][31][32].…”

Section: Specialized Metabolites Contentmentioning

confidence: 59%

Plant Response to Mechanically-Induced Stress: A Case Study on Specialized Metabolites of Leafy Vegetables

Žlabur

Radman

Uher

et al. 2021

Plants

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Plants have evolved various adaptive mechanisms to environmental stresses, such as sensory mechanisms to detect mechanical stimuli. This plant adaptation has been successfully used in the production practice of leafy vegetables, called mechanical conditioning, for many years, but there is still a lack of research on the effects of mechanically-induced stress on the content of specialized metabolites, or phytochemicals with significant antioxidant activity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the content of specialized metabolites and antioxidant capacity of lettuce and green chicory under the influence of mechanical stimulation by brushing. Mechanically-induced stress had a positive effect on the content of major antioxidants in plant cells, specifically vitamin C, total phenols, and flavonoids. In contrast, no effect of mechanical stimulation was found on the content of pigments, total chlorophylls, and carotenoids. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that induced mechanical stress is a good practice in the cultivation of leafy vegetables, the application of which provides high quality plant material with high nutritional potential and significantly higher content of antioxidants and phytochemicals important for human health.

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“…The initial steps which deal with the germplasm evaluation for nutrients and health-promoting compounds are essential for harnessing the biodiversity harbored by cultivated varieties, but also by breeding material and crop wild relatives. Some examples of these characterization works can be found in all groups of food crops, cereals [ 131 ], fruits [ 132 ], legumes [ 133 ], and vegetables [ 134 , 135 ], among others. In this sense, a considerable number of researches has compared different plant material within the same crop (for instance, landraces vs. commercial varieties) in order to identify outstanding accessions for future breeding programs aimed at enhancing the content of nutritious and beneficial compounds (reviewed in [ 3 ]).…”

Section: Exploring Biodiversity: Searching For Outstanding Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applications of Genomic Tools in Plant Breeding: Crop Biofortification

Medina-Lozano

Díaz

2022

IJMS

Self Cite

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Crop breeding has mainly been focused on increasing productivity, either directly or by decreasing the losses caused by biotic and abiotic stresses (that is, incorporating resistance to diseases and enhancing tolerance to adverse conditions, respectively). Quite the opposite, little attention has been paid to improve the nutritional value of crops. It has not been until recently that crop biofortification has become an objective within breeding programs, through either conventional methods or genetic engineering. There are many steps along this long path, from the initial evaluation of germplasm for the content of nutrients and health-promoting compounds to the development of biofortified varieties, with the available and future genomic tools assisting scientists and breeders in reaching their objectives as well as speeding up the process. This review offers a compendium of the genomic technologies used to explore and create biodiversity, to associate the traits of interest to the genome, and to transfer the genomic regions responsible for the desirable characteristics into potential new varieties. Finally, a glimpse of future perspectives and challenges in this emerging area is offered by taking the present scenario and the slow progress of the regulatory framework as the starting point.

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Nutritional value of commercial and traditional lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and wild relatives: Vitamin C and anthocyanin content

Cited by 58 publications

References 32 publications

The Nutritional Quality Potential of Microgreens, Baby Leaves, and Adult Lettuce: An Underexploited Nutraceutical Source

The Nutritional Quality Potential of Microgreens, Baby Leaves, and Adult Lettuce: An Underexploited Nutraceutical Source

Plant Response to Mechanically-Induced Stress: A Case Study on Specialized Metabolites of Leafy Vegetables

Applications of Genomic Tools in Plant Breeding: Crop Biofortification

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