We should never be under the impression that all cabbages or all kale are equal. In reality, growing conditions and harvesting, and storage can have a major impact on the antioxidant content of vegetables and fruits. To answer the question posed in the title – the answer is ‘yes’. But before we provide some evidence that growing conditions and harvesting impact the antioxidant content of cabbage and kale we need a little background on anthocyanins.
Anthocyanins are water soluble pigments that provide fruits and vegetables their red, purple or blue colors. One of the functions in plants for these antioxidants is to protect them from sun damage by absorbing UV light. Plants rich in anthocyanins include cabbage, kale, blueberry, cranberry, bilberry, raspberry and pomegranate to name a few. A good illustration of this can be seen if you are to take a knife and cut a pomegranate in half. All of the purples, blues, and deep red are the anthocyanins.
In this set of experiments scientists from Cornell University published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry the growing and storage conditions of Red cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.) and red kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) were studied.
Here’s what they found:
Red Cabbage:
- Anthocyanins were 120% more when grown at 60 degrees rather than 77 degrees
- Anthocyanins were 80% more when stored at 60 degrees rather than 39 degrees
Red Kale:
- Anthocyanins were 65% more when grown at 60 degrees instead of 77 degrees
- Anthocyanins were 117% more when stored at 39 degrees for 2 weeks post-harvest
Take Away Message: Growing temperatures have an impact on the antioxidant content which is why cabbage and kale is best grown in the spring or fall seasons. If grown during the summer time when temperatures are higher (e.g. 77 degrees) the amount of anthocyanins will be significantly less.
In terms of getting the most anthocyanins from cabbage the best time to consume it is as soon as possible after harvest. This means that grocers who have harvested their cabbage about 8 weeks ago will have significantly less anthocyanins (i.e. antioxidants) than fresh cabbage. Kale is slightly different in that if stored for 2 weeks at 39 degrees it will actually increase the amount of anthocyanins.
His research on plant medicine has led to more than 45 publications and abstracts.This research has been presented at international meetings in the USA, France, Turkey, Peru, Israel, Austria, and Italy.
Categories: Antioxidant, Food
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