Root Vegetables—Composition, Health Effects, and Contaminants

Abstract

Root vegetables are known all over the world, but they are being less and less consumed by individuals. The main purpose of this article was to summarize the benefits, health effects, and threats associated with the consumption of carrot, celery, parsley, beetroot, radish, turnip, and horseradish. They are characterized by high nutritional value due to their richness in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. One of their most important features is their high content of bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, phenols, flavonoids, and vitamin C. These compounds are responsible for antioxidant potential. Comparison of their antioxidant effects is difficult due to the lack of standardization among methods used for their assessment. Therefore, there is a need for a reference method that would allow for correct interpretation. Moreover, root vegetables are characterized by several health-promoting effects, including the regulation of metabolic parameters (glucose level, lipid profile, and blood pressure), antioxidant potential, prebiotic function, and anti-cancer properties. However, due to the type of cultivation, root vegetables are vulnerable to contaminants from the soil, such as toxic metals (lead and cadmium), pesticides, pharmaceutical residues, microplastics, and nitrates. Regardless, the low levels of toxic substances present in root vegetables do not pose health risks to the average consumer.

Health Risk and Quality Assessment of Vegetables Cultivated on Soils from a Heavily Polluted Old Mining Area

“…Plants that were exposed to toxic elements have shown changes in the content of macro- and microelements in biomass [ 24 , 46 ]. Our results did not confirm different contents of macroelements in the edible parts of root vegetables grown in soils with different contamination levels and showed results for Ca and Mg similar to Knez et al [ 33 ]. The Ca content in the leaves of lettuce ranges from 4 to 16 mg·g −1 DW [ 47 ].…”

“…Zinc concentrations in food plants from various countries were found to fall within 44–73 mg·kg −1 for mean non-toxic values for lettuce and 21–27 mg·kg −1 for carrot roots [ 31 , 32 ]. Knez et al [ 33 ] demonstrated similar Zn content in carrot root (2 mg·kg −1 in FW and in 11.7% DW). Toxic Zn concentrations in the leaves of plants range from 100 to 300 mg·kg −1 DW [ 34 ].…”

Comprehensive Evaluation of the Nutritional Properties of Different Germplasms of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua

“…Moreover, the TDF content has been shown to be higher in lower-altitude regions, and the SDF content is more susceptible to agricultural conditions than the IDF and TDF contents, a result that has also been reported for potatoes [ 72 ]. Furthermore, the average TDF content of the five P. cyrtonema germplasms (11.70%) was comparable to that of yam (12.09%) [ 73 ] and higher than those of root vegetables, such as potatoes, cassava [ 74 ], carrots, beetroot, radish, and horseradish [ 75 ]. Therefore, these results suggest that P. cyrtonema is high in dietary fiber and meets the dietary fiber requirement of ≥6% specified in the Chinese National Standard GB 28050-2011 [ 76 ] and Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and the Council [ 77 ].…”

Improvement of physicochemical properties and flavour of pickled radish through the use of a direct‐vat set starter consisting of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Leuconostoc mesenteroides

“…Radishes, similar to other root vegetables, exhibit a remarkable antioxidant potential owing to their abundance of bioactive compounds (Knez et al ., 2022). These bioactive compounds function as antioxidants, inhibiting oxidative processes and protecting against chronic diseases associated with oxidative stress (Comert & Gokmen, 2017).…”