Phenolic contents of lettuce, strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry crops cultivated under plastic films varying in ultraviolet transparency

Ordidge, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0115-5218, García-Macías, P., Battey, N. H., Gordon, M. H., Hadley, P., John, P., Lovegrove, J. A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7633-9455, Vysini, E. and Wagstaffe, A. (2010) Phenolic contents of lettuce, strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry crops cultivated under plastic films varying in ultraviolet transparency. Food Chemistry, 119 (3). pp. 1224-1227. ISSN 0308-8146 doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.08.039

Abstract/Summary

The levels of health-related phytochemicals were determined in lettuce leaf and in strawberry, raspberry and blueberry fruits grown in near-commercial conditions under plastic films of three different UV transparencies. In the red lettuce Lollo Rosso, total phenolics, anthocyanin, luteolin and quercetin levels were all raised by changing from a UV blocking film to a film of low UV transparency, and to a film of high UV transparency. The related green lettuce, Lollo Biondo, cultivated under the same conditions, showed virtually no phytochemical responses to the same variation in UV levels. Overall, the phenolic levels of strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries were unresponsive to the UV transparency of the plastic film under which the crops were grown. The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to the nutritional quality of soft fruit and salad crops which are increasingly being grown commercially under plastic tunnels.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/4635
Identification Number/DOI	10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.08.039
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Biological Sciences > Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Life Sciences > School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy > Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences > Human Nutrition Research Group
Uncontrolled Keywords	Anthocyanins; Blueberries; Flavonoids; Lettuce; Polythene tunnels; Strawberries; Raspberries; Ultraviolet
Publisher	Elsevier
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