Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) and naturally fermented beetroot juices from organic and conventional production: metabolomics, antioxidant levels and anticancer activity

Abstract

The obtained results indicate that ORG- and CONV-produced beetroots and fermented beetroot juices have different chemical properties and different impacts on cancer cells. It is necessary to continue research on this topic in order to confirm and understand the achieved results.

Chemical Composition of Selected Beetroot Juices in Relation to Beetroot Production System and Processing Technology

“…The identified concentrations were in a range reported in previously published studies (Czyżowska et al, 2006;Szopińska and Gawęda, 2013;Kazimierczak et al, 2014). Higher concentrations of betalains were found in pure beetroot juices when compared to juices combined with other components (apple, lemon).…”

“…This supports many authors findings showing higher contents of vitamin C in organically compared to the conventionally cultivated fruit and vegetables (Brandt et al, 2011) and can be explained by the nitrogen fertilization strategy used in conventional agriculture -increased fertilization tends to reduce the contents of ascorbic acid and other carboncontaining chemical compounds in plants (Stefanelli et al, 2010). The same tendency in terms of vitamin C content was described by Kazimierczak et al (2014) -fermented beetroot juices from organic production were found to contain significantly more vitamin C than the conventional ones. However, in the cited study no effect of the production system (organic/conventional) on the content of organic acids in pure fermented beetroot juices has been identified.…”

“…However, it should be pointed that the differences in formulations and processing methods of tested individual organic and conventional juice samples cause that the observations with regard to production system effects should be interpreted cautiously. Kazimierczak et al (2014) found a higher content of betanin-3-O-glucoside in organic versus conventional beetroots. However, this was true only for fresh, raw produce, while fermented beetroot juices contained similar levels of betanin-3-O-glucoside, independently on the beetroot cultivation system (organic or conventional).…”

“…In recent years, with the increase in compared to their conventional counterparts. The differences concern mainly higher sensory quality of organic fruits and vegetables, as well as the higher content of polyphenolic compounds and vitamins in organic agricultural crops compared to conventional ones (Asami et al, 2003;Bavec et al, 2010;Hallmann and Rembiałkowska, 2012;Średnicka-Tober et al, 2013;Kazimierczak et al, 2014). This is mainly due to different fertilization and crop protection regimes used in organic and conventional production systems.…”

The eff ect of thermal treatment on antioxidant capacity and pigment contents in separated betalain fractions

“…Their levels are dependent on genetic traits, climatic and cultivation conditions, as well as the size and parts of the root. Apart from betalain pigments red beets contain small amounts of hydroxycinnamic acids such as gallic, syringic and caff eic acids, as well as fl avonoids (Kazimierczak et al, 2014), and triterpene saponins, which constitute a numerous group of compounds with a highly diverse chemical structure, being O-glycoside derivatives of 4 diff erent aglycones, i.e. oleanolic acid, hederagenin, akebonoic acid and gipsogenin, to which atypical substituents may be attached, e.g.…”