Effects of Production Region, Production Systems and Grape Type/Variety on Nutritional Quality Parameters of Table Grapes; Results from a UK Retail Survey
Gultakin Hasanaliyeva,
Eleni Chatzidimitrou,
Juan Wang,
Marcin Baranski,
Nikolaos Volakakis,
Chris Seal,
Eduardo A. S. Rosa,
Per Ole Iversen,
Vanessa Vigar,
Bronwyn Barkla,
Carlo Leifert,
Leonidas Rempelos
Affiliations
Gultakin Hasanaliyeva
Department of Sustainable Crop and Food Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Universita Catollica del Sacro Cuore, I-29122 Piacenza, Italy
Eleni Chatzidimitrou
Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
Juan Wang
Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
Marcin Baranski
Department of Functional and Organic Food, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Nikolaos Volakakis
Geokomi plc, Agriculture Consultancy, P. O. Box 21, Sivas-Faistos, GR 70200 Crete, Greece
Chris Seal
Human Nutrition Research Centre, Human Nutrition Research Centre, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
Eduardo A. S. Rosa
Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environment and Biological Sciences, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Per Ole Iversen
Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway
Vanessa Vigar
Centre for Organics Research, Southern Cross University, Military Road, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia
Bronwyn Barkla
Southern Cross Plant Science, Southern Cross University, Military Road, Lismore NSW 2480, Australia
Carlo Leifert
Southern Cross Plant Science, Southern Cross University, Military Road, Lismore NSW 2480, Australia
Leonidas Rempelos
Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
Grapes contain high concentrations of secondary metabolites and antioxidants that have been linked to a reduction of several chronic diseases. Here, we report results of a UK retail survey, which investigated the effect of the production region (Mediterranean vs. South Africa), grape type (white vs. red vs. black) and variety, and production system (organic vs. conventional) on antioxidant activity and concentrations of phenolic compounds in table grapes. Black grapes had ~180% total antioxidant activity (TAA), ~60% higher total phenolic content (TPC) and ~40 times higher anthocyanin concentrations (TAC) than white grapes, while red grapes had intermediate levels of TAA, TPC and TAC. The effects of season and production system and differences between varieties of the same grape type were substantially smaller. Grapes imported from Mediterranean countries in summer had a 14% higher TPC and ~20% higher TAA than grapes imported from South Africa in winter, and organic grapes had a 16% higher TPC and 22% higher TAA, but ~30% lower TAC than conventional grapes. Significant differences in TPC, TAA and/or TAC between organic and conventional grapes could only be detected for specific grape types, varieties and/or sampling years.
