Conventional, organic and biodynamic farming: differences in polyphenol content and antioxidant activity of Batavia lettuce

BACKGROUND: Lactuca sativa L. ssp. acephala L., cv. Batavia red Mohican plants were cultivated under intensive conventional, organic and biodynamic farming and were analyzed for their polyphenol content and antiradical activity in order to demonstrate the influence of farming on yield, polyphenol content and antiradical activity. RESULTS: The yield of plants from conventional farming was the highest (2.89 kg m(-2)), while polyphenol content, measured by spectrophotometry, of these plants was lower at P < 0.05 (1.36 mg g(-1)) than the content of plants from organic and biodynamic farming (1.74 and 1.85 mg g(-1), respectively). The antiradical activity, measured by DPPH center dot assay, was positively correlated to flavonoid and hydroxycinnamic acid contents. CONCLUSION: Flavonoid, hydroxycinnamic acid and anthocyan patterns were not affected by the type of cultivation, while quantitative differences were demonstrated and some differences were found between conventional farming and organic or biodynamic farming. The yield of conventionally grown salads was the highest. (C) 2011 Society of Chemical Industry