Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Properties of Wild Rocket (Diplotaxis Tenuifolia L.) Grown under Different Plastic Films and with Different UV-B Radiation Postharvest Treatments

Rocket species are rich in nutrients with well-known bioactive activity, but their content depends on several factors, such as plant-UV radiation interaction. In this work, we measured the production of nutritional elements in wild rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia L.) leaves as a function of exposure to UV-B radiation by adopting a combined approach. The wild rocket plants were grown under three greenhouse cover films (A, B, and C) having different transmittivity to UV-B and the fresh-cut leaves were exposed to UV-B in postharvest for 45, 150, 330, and 660 s. The content of chlorophyll, carotenoids, phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, and the antioxidant activity were determined. Chlorophyll, carotenoids, and total phenolic content were significantly increased by the combination of Film C and treatment with UV-B for 45 s. The predominant phenolic compounds were kaempferol, isorhamnetin, and quercetin. Film C also elicited an increase in ascorbic acid (the most abundant antioxidant compound in the range 374-1199 per 100 g of dry matter) and antioxidant activity. These findings highlighted an increase in bioactive compound content in the wild rocket when it was cultivated under Film C (diffused light film with a tailored UV-B transmission dose) and treated with UV-B radiation for 45 s postharvest, corresponding to an energy dose of 0.2 KJ m(-2).

Automated summary

This study investigated the effect of UV-B radiation and greenhouse cover films on the nutritional content and bioactivity of wild rocket leaves. The findings showed that exposure to UV-B radiation for 45 seconds increased the levels of chlorophyll, carotenoids, phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, and antioxidant activity in the leaves. Significant increases were observed when the plants were grown under a specific greenhouse cover film (Film C), which had a tailored UV-B transmission dose.