Nitrate and nitrite in commercial samples of conventional, organic and hydroponic leafy vegetables

Authors

  • A.L. Nascimento Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, 88034-001, Florianopolis, SC, Brazil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.9755/ejfa.2019.v31.i10.2013

Keywords:

cultivation system; lettuce; rocket; spinach; watercress.

Abstract

The aim of this research was to investigate along four weeks the nitrate and nitrite levels in commercial samples of leafy vegetables (lettuce, watercress, spinach, and rocket) of different growing systems (hydroponic, conventional and organic) using a capillary electrophoresis method. In all samples, nitrite content was below the limit of detection, while nitrate was quantified. The nitrate concentrations in the leafy vegetables ranged from 239.26 to 7873.00 mg kg-1 in fresh weight, with more expressive values found for lettuce, watercress and rocket in the hydroponic system, while for spinach the highest values were found in the conventional system. However, the lettuce can be highlighted as the vegetable with the lowest content of nitrate and the rocket the vegetable with the highest content of this compound. Despite the great variability, the nitrate levels found for most samples were in accordance with international requirements.

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Published

2019-10-21

How to Cite

Nascimento, A. “Nitrate and Nitrite in Commercial Samples of Conventional, Organic and Hydroponic Leafy Vegetables”. Emirates Journal of Food and Agriculture, vol. 31, no. 10, Oct. 2019, pp. 812-7, doi:10.9755/ejfa.2019.v31.i10.2013.

Issue

Section

Short Communication