Resumen de Effect of Ulex europaeus L. extracts on polyphenol concentration in Capsicum annuum L. and Lactuca sativa L.
Ricardo M. Tighe Neira, Ramiro Díaz-Harris, Gina Leonelli-Cantergiani, Patricia Mejías Lagos, Carla Iglesias-González, Claudio Inostroza-Blancheteau
In this work, the effect of aqueous and methanolic extracts from roots and shoots of Ulex europaeus L. on the total polyphenol content of Capsicum annuum L. and Lactuca sativa L. grown in laboratory and greenhouse conditions was evaluated. Treatments consisted of U. europaeus L. extracts (20, 40, 80, 160 and 320 mg kg-1) as well as caffeine and distilled water as controls, all of which were applied with a manual sprayer on seedlings of the aforementioned species. Total polyphenols were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Under control conditions, the polyphenol concentration in C. annuum was lower in laboratory than in greenhouse conditions (P<0.05). Conversely, L. sativa had a higher polyphenol concentration in the laboratory than in the greenhouse (P<0.05). Also, under laboratory conditions the polyphenol content rose with increasing extract doses in both species, but this tendency was not observed in the greenhouse. Finally, different doses of extracts of U. europaeus L. affect total polyphenol content in both species. This effect is clear under laboratory conditions, but not in greenhouse experiments. These findings open up the possibility of cultivating species with higher antioxidant contents using natural products.
