Bioactive Compounds, Sugars, and Sensory Attributes of Organic and Conventionally Produced Courgette (<i>Cucurbita pepo</i>)
Klaudia Kopczyńska,
Dominika Średnicka-Tober,
Ewelina Hallmann,
Jacek Wilczak,
Grażyna Wasiak-Zys,
Zdzisław Wyszyński,
Katarzyna Kucińska,
Aneta Perzanowska,
Paweł Szacki,
Marcin Barański,
Paulina Gawron,
Rita Góralska-Walczak,
Ewa Rembiałkowska,
Renata Kazimierczak
Affiliations
Klaudia Kopczyńska
Department of Functional and Organic Food, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Dominika Średnicka-Tober
Department of Functional and Organic Food, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Ewelina Hallmann
Department of Functional and Organic Food, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Jacek Wilczak
Department of Physiological Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Grażyna Wasiak-Zys
Department of Functional and Organic Food, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Zdzisław Wyszyński
Department of Agronomy, Institute of Agriculture, Warsaw University of Life Science, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Katarzyna Kucińska
Department of Agronomy, Institute of Agriculture, Warsaw University of Life Science, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Aneta Perzanowska
Department of Agronomy, Institute of Agriculture, Warsaw University of Life Science, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Paweł Szacki
Department of Agronomy, Institute of Agriculture, Warsaw University of Life Science, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Marcin Barański
Laboratory of Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pasteura 3, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
Paulina Gawron
Department of Functional and Organic Food, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Rita Góralska-Walczak
Department of Functional and Organic Food, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Ewa Rembiałkowska
Department of Functional and Organic Food, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Renata Kazimierczak
Department of Functional and Organic Food, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Organic agriculture is considered one of the elements of sustainable food production and consumption, mainly due to its limited impact on the natural environment. At the same time, the quality features of organically produced foods, especially sensory attributes and health promoting values, are important factors determining consumers’ interest, and therefore play a key role in the organic sector’s development. The aim of this study was to investigate the sensory characteristics and concentrations of sugars and selected health-promoting bioactive compounds of organic courgette compared to conventionally grown courgette. In addition, untargeted metabolomic analysis of the courgette fruits was performed. The results of this study did not show a significant effect of the horticultural system (organic vs. conventional) on the concentrations of vitamin C, carotenoids, and chlorophylls in the courgette fruits. However, the fruits from the organic systems were significantly richer in sugars when compared to the conventionally cultivated ones (p = 0.038). Moreover, the organic fruits fertilized with manure contained significantly higher amounts of polyphenols, including gallic acid (p = 0.016), chlorogenic acid (p = 0.012), ferulic acid (p = 0.019), and quercetin-3-O-rutinoside (p = 0.020) compared to the conventional fruits. The untargeted analysis detected features significantly differentiating courgette fruits depending on the cultivar and horticultural system. Some significant differences in sensory values were also identified between fruits representing the two cultivars and coming from the horticultural systems compared in the study. Conventional courgettes were characterized by the most intensive peel color and aquosity, but at the same time were the least hard and firm compared to the fruits from the two organic systems. There was also a trend towards higher overall quality of the organically grown fruits. The presented study shows that the organic and conventional courgette fruits differ in a number of quality features which can influence consumers’ health and purchasing choices.
