Antioxidant capacity of 44 cultivars of fruits and vegetables grown in Andalusia (Spain)

Human diet has an important role in protection against oxidative stress. This health-protecting factor has been partly attributed to the compounds with antioxidant capacity, fruits and vegetables being major sources of dietary antioxidants. Horticultural production in Andalusia includes a large variety of fruits and vegetables which are available not only in Spain but also in other European Union countries. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of the edible portion of 44 fruits and vegetables grown in Andalusia and commonly consumed by both Spanish and other European consumers. The samples, collected at different times according to the harvesting period of each crop, were submitted to three in vitro assays: TEAC (trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity), FRAP (ferric ion reducing antioxidant power), and ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity). The samples showing the highest antioxidant capacity were red 'California' pepper (4.550-13.810 mmol eq. Trolox/100 g), 'Fino' lemon (11.560-14.340 mmol eq. FeSO4/100 g), and red onion (2.921-13.830 mmol eq. Trolox/100 g) in the TEAC, FRAP, and ORAC assays, respectively. The results also showed that 'Vivaldi' potato was the sample with the lowest antioxidant capacity in all the methods assessed (0.035-0.590 mmol eq. Trolox/100 g in TEAC, 0.200-0.399 mmol eq. FeSO4/100 g in FRAP and 0.238-0.286 mmol eq. Trolox/100 g in ORAC assay). In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive comparison of the antioxidant capacity among different cultivars of fruits and vegetables grown in Andalusia that can be acquired year round. This information reveals that the Andalusian cultivars analyzed are good sources of antioxidants. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.