Changes in Flavonoids and Antioxidant Activity of Spinach among Cultivation Periods

Abstract

We investigated changes in flavonoids and hydrophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity (H-ORAC) values in six varieties of spinach among two or three cultivation periods. Two varieties of spinach were cultivated in 2 periods (4/6∼5/19 and 9/22∼11/14). Four varieties were also cultivated from 7/27 to 9/1 in addition to the two periods. Total flavonoids, H-ORAC values of spinach cultivated in 9/22∼11/14 were higher than those cultivated in 4/6∼5/19, in accordance with SPAD values indicating chlorophyll content. These results demonstrated that fall cultivation of spinach, in which the temperature declines toward the harvest date, enhances the flavonoids and antioxidant activity of spinach with a dark green color.