Variation in bioactive content in broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) grown under conventional and organic production systems

This is the accepted version of the following article: Valverde, J., Reilly, K., Villacreces, S., Gaffney, M., Grant, J. and Brunton, N. (2015), Variation in bioactive content in broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) grown under conventional and organic production systems. J. Sci. Food Agric., 95: 1163–1171, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.6804peer-reviewedBACKGROUND Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables contain a number of bioactive compounds, in particular glucosinolates and polyphenols, which are proposed to confer health benefits to the consumer. Demand for organic crops is at least partly based on a perception that organic crops may contain higher levels of bioactive compounds; however, insufficient research has been carried out to either support or refute such claims. RESULTS In this study we examined the effect of conventional, organic, and mixed cultivation practices on the content of total phenolics, total flavonoids, and total and individual glucosinolates in two varieties of broccoli grown over 2 years in a split-plot factorial systems comparison trial. Levels of total phenolics and total flavonoids showed a significant year-on-year variation but were not significantly different between organic and conventional production systems. In contrast, levels of the indolyl glucosinolates glucobrassicin and neoglucobrassicin were significantly higher (P < 0.05) under fully organic compared to fully conventional management. CONCLUSION Organic cultivation practices resulted in significantly higher levels of glucobrassicin and neoglucobrassicin in broccoli florets; however, other investigated compounds were unaffected by production practices.The Irish Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (FIRM 06/NITAFRC6) is gratefully acknowledged for financial suppor

Estudio del impacto visual y propuesta de mejora mediante la implantación de arbolado urbano del parque eólico "La Plata"

En los últimos años, las energías renovables han pasado a jugar un papel fundamental en el abastecimiento energético mundial, debido al aumento de la demanda de energía y a la creciente problemática ambiental. Sin embargo, las energías renovables no están exentas de problemas medioambientales, y factores como la ocupación del territorio y el impacto visual hacen que su aceptación social disminuya. En el caso de la energía eólica, la disposición de los aerogeneradores queda condicionada por la intermitencia en la dirección e intensidad del viento, lo que complica la reducción del impacto visual de los parques eólicos y, por tanto, su aceptación social. Debido a la complejidad de los escenarios en los que se sitúan estas instalaciones, existe una gran diversidad de metodologías para optimizar su integración en el paisaje, pero no hay una metodología generalizada que considere que la población debe jugar un papel importante en su desarrollo. Para conocer y valorar el impacto visual que genera el parque eólico "La Plata", se han aplicado tres metodologías: una basada en la valoración cualitativa de los escenarios de población, otra en el uso de Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) y la última a través de cuestionarios, comprobando así la equidad en los resultados de las tres metodologías. Aplicadas las tres metodologías y comparando los resultados, todas ellas coinciden en la valoración del impacto visual negativo en el paisaje del parque eólico ?La Plata?, si bien la metodología que se apoya en el uso de cuestionarios incide directamente en la percepción de la población de este impacto, y discierne sus principales problemas. Para determinar la situación del arbolado propuesto se ha utilizado un SIG seleccionando las áreas prioritarias y así evaluar la reducción del impacto visual producido

Preliminary study on the use of near infrared hyperspectral imaging for quantitation and localisation of total glucosinolates in freeze-dried broccoli

peer-reviewedThe use of hyperspectral imaging to (a) quantify and (b) localise total glucosinolates in florets of a single broccoli species has been examined. Two different spectral regions (vis–NIR and NIR), a number of spectral pre-treatments and different mask development strategies were studied to develop the quantitative models. These models were then applied to freeze-dried slices of broccoli to identify regions within individual florets which were rich in glucosinolates. The procedure demonstrates potential for the quantitative screening and localisation of total glucosinolates in broccoli using the 950–1650 nm wavelength range. These compounds were mainly located in the external part of florets.Universidad de SevillaJ.M. Hernández-Hierro thanks the Spanish MICINN for the Juan de la Cierva contract (JCI-2011-09201) and Universidad de Sevilla for the mobility Grant (Universidad de Sevilla Research Plan). Spanish MICINN Project AGL2011-30254-C02 and Junta de Andalucia PGC Project AGR 6331

Variation in bioactive content in broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) grown under conventional and organic production systems

This is the accepted version of the following article: Valverde, J., Reilly, K., Villacreces, S., Gaffney, M., Grant, J. and Brunton, N. (2015), Variation in bioactive content in broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) grown under conventional and organic production systems. J. Sci. Food Agric., 95: 1163–1171, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.6804BACKGROUND Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables contain a number of bioactive compounds, in particular glucosinolates and polyphenols, which are proposed to confer health benefits to the consumer. Demand for organic crops is at least partly based on a perception that organic crops may contain higher levels of bioactive compounds; however, insufficient research has been carried out to either support or refute such claims. RESULTS In this study we examined the effect of conventional, organic, and mixed cultivation practices on the content of total phenolics, total flavonoids, and total and individual glucosinolates in two varieties of broccoli grown over 2 years in a split-plot factorial systems comparison trial. Levels of total phenolics and total flavonoids showed a significant year-on-year variation but were not significantly different between organic and conventional production systems. In contrast, levels of the indolyl glucosinolates glucobrassicin and neoglucobrassicin were significantly higher (P < 0.05) under fully organic compared to fully conventional management. CONCLUSION Organic cultivation practices resulted in significantly higher levels of glucobrassicin and neoglucobrassicin in broccoli florets; however, other investigated compounds were unaffected by production practices.The Irish Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (FIRM 06/NITAFRC6) is gratefully acknowledged for financial suppor

Feasibility Study on the Use of Visible–Near-Infrared Spectroscopy for the Screening of Individual and Total Glucosinolate Contents in Broccoli

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, copyright © American Chemical Society, after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jf3018113.peer-reviewedThe potential of visible–near-infrared spectroscopy to determine selected individual and total glucosinolates in broccoli has been evaluated. Modified partial least-squares regression was used to develop quantitative models to predict glucosinolate contents. Both the whole spectrum and different spectral regions were separately evaluated to develop the quantitative models; in all cases the best results were obtained using the near-infrared zone between 2000 and 2498 nm. These models have been externally validated for the screening of glucoraphanin, glucobrassicin, 4-methoxyglucobrassicin, neoglucobrassicin, and total glucosinolates contents. In addition, discriminant partial least-squares was used to distinguish between two possible broccoli cultivars and showed a high degree of accuracy. In the case of the qualitative analysis, best results were obtained using the whole spectrum (i.e., 400–2498 nm) with a correct classification rate of 100% in external validation being obtained.J.M.H.-H. thanks the Spanish MICINN for the Juan de la Cierva contract (JCI-2011-09201) and Universidad de Sevilla for the mobility grant (Universidad de Sevilla Research Plan). Spanish MICINN project AGL2011-30254-C02 and Junta de Andalucia PGC project AGR 6331

Wooded Grasslands as Part of the European Agricultural Heritage

Wooded grasslands have always played an important role in rural life with changing issues: They are of high importance for questions of biodiversity, soil, and water resources and in preserving agricultural heritage, but their maintenance is labor intensive. Abandoned wooded grasslands undergo succession, and food production alone does not support their survival. They require special attention and at the beginning a well-established subsidy system can help to contribute to their survival. Their sustainable use in the present-day landscapes can only be conceivable in complexity where food production, reintroduction of their cultural values, biodiversity and landscape protection, and ecotourism are playing an important role. This chapter gives an overview on the recent situation of wooded grasslands and their historical development, based on the work done by the Institute for Research on European Agricultural Landscapes (www.\u200beucalandnetwork.\u200beu). National pictures, definitions, history (including local names), threats, potentials, cultural values, spatial distributions, subtypes, and available databases have been collected, described, and analyzed. The main results of this survey are as follows: (1) Wooded grasslands are known to the public but mainly to local communities where they occur; (2) Many subtypes of wooded grasslands exist in various European countries; (3) Wooded grasslands underwent tremendous changes during the past centuries and lost their importance for various reasons; (4) There are many local and regional projects focusing on wooded grasslands, often as \u201clighthouse\u201d projects to valorise cultural achievements