Assessment of antioxidant activity of Batavia lettuce and rocket from conventional and mycorrhized farming

Abstract In the present study the antioxidant capacity of Batavia lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and rocket (Eruca sativa L.) cultivars produced from conventional and an organic farming with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) named "Convivo", patented by the Mi.P.A.A.F (Ministry of Agricultural Food and Forestry), was evaluated using Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. Total phenolic content (TPC) of the two salads was also analyzed in order to evaluate the influence of farming on antioxidant activity. The association with AMF resulted in greater quantities of polyphenols in salads. The antioxidant capacity of rocket and lettuce grown with AMF was higher than that of conventional culture. Significant correlations were observed between TPC content and ORAC/DPPH values. The shelf life and maintenance of the nutritional quality of salads cultivated under conventional and organic farming were compared. Mycorrhized farming increased the antioxidant activity of salads as well as its stability overtime, compared with conventional farming. Within the mycorrhizal cultivars the treatment was more effective in rocket than in lettuce, giving a product with a longer ,,shelf life".