If you are ever at the grocery store you may wonder if ‘organic’ is worth the extra money.
New research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry may help make your decision a little easier – at least if you buy cabbage.
Worldwide cabbage is the most widely grown vegetable ahead of other vegetables like carrots and onions.
For example, in Poland where the study was performed, 24900 hectares of land was used to grown conventional cabbage and 443 hectares was used to grow organic cabbage.
In another research article, the storage of cabbage on nutritional value has been studied – you need to read the results here.
Studies have consistently reported that organically grown vegetables are often higher in polyphenols than conventionally grown vegetables.
Bioactives in cabbage include glucosinolates, polyphenols, carotenoids, and vitamins. These nutrients and antioxidants help support the body against free radicals and have been suggested to reduce the risk of many chronic diseases.
The primary objective of this study was to determine if organic cabbage had a higher polyphenol content than conventionally grown cabbage.
Here are more articles about Quercetin, an antioxidant found in cabbage linked to reducing the risk of allergies, uric acid levels and more.
Here are the study details
– The cabbage was grown in 2010 and 2011 in four certified organic farms (ORG) and two conventional farms (CONV) located nearby, all in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie region.
– In every experimental farm (field), three plots were appointed. In general, 120 kg of cabbage from individual farm were taken for all analysis purposes.
– The amount of phenolic compounds (e.g. polyphenols and antioxidants was determined by HPLC (High performance liquid chromatography).
Here are the main results
– Nine different polyphenols were identified in the cabbage consistent with other studies.
– Quercetin and kaempferol were higher in organic cabbage than conventional cabbage
– Glucosinolates were higher in organic cabbage than conventional cabbage
Here are more articles about Quercetin, an antioxidant found in cabbage linked to reducing the risk of allergies, uric acid levels and more.
Here’s what the authors had to say
To summarize, the results obtained have confirmed the basic hypothesis that organic cultivation considerably affected the composition of fresh cabbage and sauerkraut juice. Organic cabbage contained more bioactive compounds compared to the CONV one, and the same tendency has been proved for the ORG sauerkraut juice.
Here are more research articles published with polyphenols and their health benefits.
Take away message
Next time you are at the grocery store and trying to decide on organic or non-organic fruits and vegetables remember on average organic fruit and vegetables will have about 20% more polyphenols and nutrients. In some cases even more polyphenols are possible.
Reference:
The Nutritive Value of Organic and Conventional White Cabbage (Brassica Oleracea L. Var. Capitata) and Anti-Apoptotic Activity in Gastric Adenocarcinoma Cells of Sauerkraut Juice Produced Therof.J Agric Food Chem. 2017 Sep 20;65(37):8171-8183.
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: Food, Plant Medicine, Quality Control
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