Food Chemistry 121 (2010) 406–411

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Food Chemistry
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foodchem

Influence of conventional and organic agricultural practices on the phenolic

content in eggplant pulp: Plant-to-plant variation
Devanand Luthria a,*,1, Ajay P. Singh b,1, Ted Wilson c, Nicholi Vorsa d, Gary S. Banuelos d, Bryan T. Vinyard e
a
Food Composition and Methods Development Lab, BHNRC, 10300 Baltimore Ave., Bldg 161 BARC-East, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, United States
b
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, 59 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States
c
Department of Biology, Winona State University, Winona, MN 55987, United States
d
Water Management Research Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Parlier, CA 93648, United States
e
Biometrical Consulting Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, United States

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Consumer awareness, pesticide and fertiliser contaminations, and environmental concerns have resulted
Received 28 September 2009 in significant demand for organically grown farm products. The present study evaluates the influence that
Received in revised form 7 December 2009 organic and conventional farming practices exert on the total phenolic content in eggplant samples from
Accepted 15 December 2009
two cultivars, Blackbell (American eggplant) and Millionaire (Japanese eggplant), grown by conventional
and organic farming practices with similar climatic conditions. In addition, plant-to-plant variation in
phenolic content was determined from eight eggplant samples collected from different plants grown
Keywords:
at various field positions. Samples were separately assayed for phenolic content by the two independent
Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.)
Polyphenols
procedures, HPLC/LC–MS and Folin–Ciocalteu assay. The results of the HPLC analysis showed significant
Conventional and organic plant-to-plant variation (% RSD ranged from 22% to 48%) in 5-caffeoylqunic acid content (the most abun-
5-Caffeoylqunic acid dant phenolic acid) in eight eggplant samples collected from eight different plants belonging to the same
HPLC and LC–MS analysis cultivar and grown under similar conditions. The cv. Millionaire showed a higher total phenolic content
Total phenolics compared to the Blackbell cultivar. We did not observe significant consistent trend in the phenolic con-
Folin–Ciocalteu tent of eggplant samples grown with organic and conventional farming practices with both eggplant cul-
Plant-to-plant variations tivars. We, however, observed a strong correlation (R2 = 0.87) between total phenolic content as assayed
by Folin–Ciocalteu assay and 5-caffeoylqunic acid, a major phenolic acid in eggplant extract. This study
concludes that multiple repetitive analyses of plant products collected from different plants grown over
various time periods (seasons) at different locations should always be carried to unambiguously prove
the impact of growing conditions on phenolic content or antioxidant activity.
Published by Elsevier Ltd.

1. Introduction eggplant cultivar. Sudheesh, Presannakumar, Vijayakumar, and Vi-

Consumption of the phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables,
particularly phenolic compounds, has been linked to reduced risk
of coronary heart diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and certain
forms of cancers (Halliwell, 1994; Huang & Ferraro, 1992; Hung
et al., 2004). The research on antioxidant activity of eggplant with
different assays was published by Huang et al. (2004). Eggplant
(Solanum melongena L.), is ranked among the top ten vegetables
in terms of oxygen radical absorbance capacity due to the fruit
phenolic constituents (Cao, Sofic, & Prior, 1996). Eggplant fruit is
also commonly known as aubergine, melanzana, garden egg, brin-
jal, or patlican in different parts of the world. The colour, size, and
shape of the eggplant fruit varies significantly with the type of the
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 301 504 7247; fax: +1 301 504 8314.
E-mail address: D.Luthria@ars.usda.gov (D. Luthria).
1
Both authors have equal contribution.
jayalakshmi (1997) showed the hypolipidemic beneficial effect of
phenolic phytochemicals from S. melongena in normal and choles-
terol fed animals.
It is well documented in several peer-reviewed publications
that the quantity and quality of phenolics present in fruits and veg-
etables are significantly influenced by cultivar, environment, soil
type, growing, and storage conditions (Achouri, Boye, & Belanger,
2005; Antolovich, Prenzler, Robards, & Ryan, 2000; Grifith, & Colli-
son, 2001; Lee, Renita, Fioritto, Martin, Schwartz, & Vodovotz,
2004; Luthria, 2006; Naczk, & Shahidi, 2004; Robbins, 2003). The
composition of phenolic phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables
may also be influenced by the mode of farming, i.e. conventional
vs. organic. Proponents of organic farming often claim that organ-
ically derived fruits, vegetables, and grains are more beneficial for
human health as they are grown without the aid of synthetic pes-
ticides. In some publications, it is stated that organically grown
crops contain higher antioxidant content (Chassy, Bui, Renaud,

0308-8146/$ - see front matter Published by Elsevier Ltd.

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.12.055
 D. Luthria et al. / Food Chemistry 121 (2010) 406–411
Horn, & Mitchell, 2006; M del Amor, Serrano-Martinez, Fortea, &
Nunez-Delicado, 2008; Woese, Lange, Christian, & Bogl, 1997)
while others show inconsistent differences in the antioxidant con-
tents (Dimbergh, Gissen, & Nilsson, 2005; Lombardi-Boccia, Luca-
rini, Lanzi, Aguzzi, & Cappelloni, 2004). A recently published
scientific status summary by the Institute of Food Technologists
(Winter & Davis, 2006) concluded that it is premature to say that
either organic or conventional foods are better in terms of safety
or nutritional values. However, the global market for certified or-
ganic foods is rapidly growing in both the United States and Europe
(Kortbech-Olesen, 2003). This increased demand for certified or-
ganic foods has necessitated a need for quantification of pesticides,
nutrients, and other bioactive phenolics in foods grown under both
conventional and organic environments.
In an earlier publication, we initially developed an optimized
method for the extraction of phenolic acids from eggplant fruit
(Luthria & Mukhopadhyay, 2006) and later described extraction
and analysis of polyphenols from eggplant pulp along with the
inhibition of cupric-ion mediated oxidation of low-density lipopro-
tein (Singh et al., 2009). A large number of the earlier published
studies on phenolics and their antioxidant activity of eggplants
or other fruits and vegetable extracts were usually carried out with
limited number of samples per cultivar or growing conditions. In
continuation of our research on eggplant phenolics, we systemati-
cally examined the phenolics content of 32 eggplant samples. Eight
samples per cultivar (Blackbell-American and Millionaire-Japa-
nese) per growing conditions (organic and conventional) were col-
lected from eight separate plants grown in different locations of
the same field. This study was undertaken to evaluate plant-to-
plant variation of phenolic content in eggplants samples collected
from different plants. In addition, influence of organic and conven-
tional farming on eggplant phenolics and their antioxidant activity
was also evaluated. The phenolic content in eggplant samples was
determined by two independent procedures, high performance li-
quid chromatography with diode array detection and a spectro-
photometric Folin–Ciocalteu (FC) assay.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Plant materials
Two of the most popular hybrid cultivars of eggplants (S. melon-
gena L.) developed in the United States (cv. Blackbell) and in Japan
(cv. Millionaire) were used for the study. Both varieties were
grown in a Hanford sandy loam soil under both conventional grow-
ing conditions at Israel Alvarez Farm and under organic conditions
at T and D Willey Farms near Fresno, CA (USA). Eggplant fruits
were randomly harvested in June 2005 from different plants from
various locations at each field site and sent overnight to the Food
Composition and Methods Development Laboratory, Beltsville,
MD (USA).
2.2. Chemicals
Folin–Ciocalteu (FC) reagent, gallic acid, and sodium carbonate
for the assay of total phenolics (TP) were obtained from Sigma
Chemicals (St. Louis, MO, USA). 5-Caffeoylquinic acid standard
was purchased from Indofine Chemicals (Hillsborough, NJ, USA).
HPLC grade methanol and acetonitrile, formic acid, and water were
obtained from Fisher Scientific (Fair Lawn, NJ, USA). Polyvinylidene
difluoride (PVDF) syringe filters with pore size 0.45 lm were pur-
chased from National Scientific Company (Duluth, GA, USA). Deion-
ized water (18 MX) was prepared using a Millipore Milli-Q
purification system (Millipore Corp., New Bedford, MA, USA).
407
2.3. Sample preparation
As described earlier (Luthria & Mukhopadhyay, 2006; Singh et al.,
2009) all eggplant samples were peeled, and the pulp and the flesh of
the fruits were separated. The flesh of the fruits was chopped into
small pieces (2–4 cm) and stored in Ziploc bags under nitrogen at
temperature < 60 °C. The frozen flesh part of the fruits was lyophi-
lized and the freeze-dried sample was ground in a coffee grinder. The
dried ground powder was passed through a standard 20 mesh size
(particle size < 0.850 mm). The homogenized freeze-dried ground
material was well mixed and stored in 2–5 g aliquots under nitrogen
at temperature < 60 °C until extracted and analyzed.
2.4. Sample extraction
Extraction was carried out using an optimized procedure using
a pressurized liquid extractor (Luthria & Mukhopadhyay, 2006). In
short, an accelerated solvent extractor (ASE) from Dionex Corpora-
tion (Model ASE 200, Dionex Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA) was used
for PLE. Aliquots of 250 ± 1 mg of dried powdered eggplant samples
were placed in an 11 mL stainless steel extraction cell. Two circular
cellulose filters (size 1.983 mm, Dionex Corporation) were placed
at the bottom of the extraction cell in order to prevent suspended
particles from entering the collection vials. The remaining void vol-
ume in the cell was filled with Ottawa Sand. Both extraction cells
and collection vials were arranged appropriately in the two desig-
nated carousels. Extractions were carried out with an optimized
solvent mixture (MeOH/H2O, 80:20, % v/v). Extractions were per-
formed at 1000 psi, 100 °C, with a 5 min equilibration time, a
5 min static time, and a 90 s purge time for each extraction cycle.
A total of four extraction cycles were performed for each sample.
About 20 mL of solvent was used for the four extraction cycles with
flush volume set at 75%. Extracts were collected in a 60 mL amber
sample vials fitted with Teflon coated rubber caps (I-CHEM, New
Castle, DE, USA). Each extract was transferred to a 25 mL volumet-
ric flask and the total volume was adjusted to 25 mL with appropri-
ate solvent mixture. Aliquots of eggplant extracts were filtered
through a 0.45 lm PVDF syringe filter prior to analysis of phenolic
acids by HPLC with diode array detection. Triplicate extractions
and HPLC analysis were carried out for each sample.
2.5. Determination of phenolics by FC assay
The phenolic content was determined with the FC assay proce-
dure using gallic acid as a standard on a Perkin–Elmer Lambda 25
spectrophotometer (Waltham, MA, USA) as described in our earlier
communication (Mukhopadhyay, Luthria, & Robbins, 2006). The
absorbance of the colored reaction product was measured at
765 nm. Calibration curve was produced using standard gallic acid
solutions each time analysis was run and the level of TP in the extract
was determined. The phenolic content in the extract was calculated
from the standard calibration curve. Results were expressed in mg of
gallic acid equivalents per gram (GAE/g) of dried eggplant pulp.
2.6. HPLC and LC–MS analysis
Phenolic compounds were identified by high performance li-
quid chromatography coupled with tendem mass spectrometry
(HPLC/MS/MS) as described in our earlier communication (Singh
et al., 2009). An HPLC/UV method developed in our laboratory
was used for the detection and quantification of phenolic acid
(Luthria & Mukhopadhyay, 2006; Robbins, 2003). Eggplant extracts
were analyzed on a Beckman Coulter HPLC System Gold coupled to
a programmable detector (System Gold, series 166) and an auto-
sampler (System Gold, series 508) operated by a 32 Karat software
package (Beckman Coulter, Fullerton, CA, USA). A reversed phase
408 D. Luthria et al. / Food Chemistry 121 (2010) 406–411

Fig. 1. A typical HPLC profile of phenolic phytochemical extracted from eggplant pulp sample extracted with 80% aqueous methanol. The major compound was identified as
5-caffeoylqunic acid (peak 3).

C18 Luna column (Phenomenex, Torrance, CA, USA, 150  4.6 mm;
particle size 5 lm), preceded by a guard column (Phenomenex,
4  3.0 mm) of the same stationary phase was used for HPLC anal-
ysis. The column and the guard column were thermostatically con-
trolled at 25 °C and the flow rate was set to 0.7 mL/min. The mobile
phase consisted of two solvents; 0.1% formic acid (A) and MeOH
(B). The mobile phase gradient in volumetric ratio of solvents
was as follows: 5–30% B over 50 min. The solvent gradient was
held at 30% B for additional 15 min and at 65 min gradient was in-
creased to 100% B. It was maintained at 100% B for an additional
10 min to clean up the column. Dual wavelengths (270 nm and
325 nm) were used to detect the eluent composition. HPLC analysis

Table 1
HPLC analysis results of 5-caffeoylquinic acid extracted from 32 eggplants belonging to two cultivars (Blackbell and Millionaire) grown under two different environmental
conditions (organic and conventional). Triplicate extraction and HPLC analysis was carried out with each sample.

Cultivars Growing conditions 5-Caffeoylquinic Mean Standard deviation %RSD

Acid mean (mg/g DMB) (n = 24) (n = 24)
(mg/g) DMB (n = 24)
(n = 3)
Blackbell Conventional 2.24 4.11 1.97 48.09
Blackbell Conventional 3.14
Blackbell Conventional 3.67
Blackbell Conventional 8.3
Blackbell Conventional 2.64
Blackbell Conventional 5.51
Blackbell Conventional 3.14
Blackbell Conventional 4.21
Blackbell Organic 1.57 2.63 1.05 40.05
Blackbell Organic 1.36
Blackbell Organic 2.59
Blackbell Organic 4.04
Blackbell Organic 3.58
Blackbell Organic 1.66
Blackbell Organic 3.72
Blackbell Organic 2.52
Millionaire Conventional 7.92 5.94 1.36 22.87
Millionaire Conventional 8.02
Millionaire Conventional 5.73
Millionaire Conventional 5.17
Millionaire Conventional 4.95
Millionaire Conventional 4.73
Millionaire Conventional 6.3
Millionaire Conventional 4.72
Millionaire Organic 5.7 6.71 1.81 27.03
Millionaire Organic 10.35
Millionaire Organic 7.59
Millionaire Organic 7.81
Millionaire Organic 5.99
Millionaire Organic 4.76
Millionaire Organic 5.2
Millionaire Organic 6.27
 D. Luthria et al. / Food Chemistry 121 (2010) 406–411 409

Table 2
Total phenolics quantification by Folin–Ciocalteu assay of 32 eggplants extracts belonging to two cultivars (Blackbell and Millionaire) grown under two different environmental
conditions (organic and conventional). Triplicate extraction were carried out with each sample.

Varieties Growing conditions Total phenolics Mean Standard deviation %RSD

Folin–Ciocalteu assay GAE (mg/g) (mg/g) (DMB) (n = 24) (n = 24)
Mean (DMB) (n = 3) (n = 24)
Blackbell Conventional 7.08 9.88 2.65 26.81
Blackbell Conventional 6.98
Blackbell Conventional 9.45
Blackbell Conventional 14.99
Blackbell Conventional 8.86
Blackbell Conventional 11.98
Blackbell Conventional 9.11
Blackbell Conventional 10.60
Blackbell Organic 6.90 8.90 1.35 15.13
Blackbell Organic 7.35
Blackbell Organic 9.81
Blackbell Organic 9.85
Blackbell Organic 10.45
Blackbell Organic 7.77
Blackbell Organic 9.74
Blackbell Organic 9.32
Millionaire Conventional 13.08 11.61 1.26 10.81
Millionaire Conventional 13.24
Millionaire Conventional 11.61
Millionaire Conventional 12.02
Millionaire Conventional 9.38
Millionaire Conventional 11.04
Millionaire Conventional 11.76
Millionaire Conventional 10.75
Millionaire Organic 12.24 13.64 2.02 14.78
Millionaire Organic 16.62
Millionaire Organic 15.85
Millionaire Organic 14.62
Millionaire Organic 11.73
Millionaire Organic 11.22
Millionaire Organic 12.36
Millionaire Organic 14.47

at 325 nm was used for quantification of the peak areas of individ-
ual phenolic acids.
2.7. Calibration curve
5-Caffeoylquinic acid was quantified with external standards by
using HPLC analysis as described previously (Luthria & Mukhopad-
hyay, 2006). Six different standard stock solutions with varying phe-
nolic acid concentration were prepared for 5-caffeoylquinic acid.
The concentration of phenolic acids extracted from eggplant sam-
ples were calculated using the developed calibration curve equation.
2.8. Statistical analysis
A 2  2 (variety  condition) factorial ANOVA was conducted on
the 8 replicate data values observed for phenolics assayed by two

Table 3
Means comparisons in two-way cutlivar  condition ANOVA of eggplant total phenolics (Folin–Ciocalteu) and HPLC (5-caffeoylqunic acid) data of 96 eggplant (Blackbell and
Millionaire varieties) extracts.

Cultivar Condition Mean Standard error LSD Group*

Comparison of condition means for each cultivar Y = 5-caffeoylqunic acid by HPLC
Blackbell Conventional 4.106 0.563 A
Blackbell Organic 2.630 0.563 A
Millionaire Organic 6.709 0.563 A
Millionaire Conventional 5.943 0.563 A

Comparison of condition means for each cutlivar Y = Total phenolics by Folin–Ciocalteu

Blackbell Conventional 9.880 0.832 A
Blackbell Organic 8.899 0.460 A
Millionaire Organic 13.640 0.832 A
Millionaire Conventional 11.610 0.460 B

Comparison of cutlivar means (conventional and organic combined) Y = 5-caffeoylqunic acid by HPLC
Millionaire 6.633 0.398 A
Blackbell 3.368 0.398 B

Comparison of cutlivar means (conventional and organic combined) Y = Total phenolics by Folin–Ciocalteu
Millionaire 12.625 0.475 A
Blackbell 9.390 0.475 B
*
For each of the 6 pairs of means being compared, different letters indicate statistical difference between the 2 means at a = 0.05.
410 D. Luthria et al. / Food Chemistry 121 (2010) 406–411
independent procedures (Folin–Ciocalteu vs. HPLC analyses). Culti-
vars were Millionaire and Blackbell and conditions were ‘conven-
tional’ and ‘organic’. Homogeneity of within-(cultivar  condition)
variances was tested using a likelihood ratio test by ‘variance-
grouping’ factor in the ‘group’ option of the REPEATED statement
in SAS Proc MIXED, to indicate which of the 4 cultivars  conditions
exhibited similar variance (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC).
3. Results and discussion
Identification of phenolics by HPLC and LC–MS analysis has
been described in our earlier manuscript (Singh et al., 2009).
Fig. 1 shows a typical HPLC chromatogram of the eggplant pulp ex-
tract. The most abundant phenolic acid (peak 3) was identified as
5-caffeoylquinic acid by comparison of ultraviolet-visible and mass
spectral data. Peaks 2, 4, and 5 were identified as 4-caffeoylqunic
acid, 3-caffeoylqunic acid, and 5-cis-caffeoylqunic acid, respec-
tively. Peaks 1 and 6 were not identified.
Accurate quantification of 5-caffeoylquinic acid was carried out
using a purified commercial standard. The results of the HPLC anal-
ysis and quantification of 5-caffeoylquinic acid in 32 eggplants
samples is presented in Table 1. The grand mean of 5-caffeoylqui-
nic acid content in conventionally and organically grown Blackbell
cultivar (24 samples analyzed per growing condition per culti-
var = 8 eggplants collected from different plants grown in different
locations, each analyzed in triplicate) was 4.11 mg and 2.63 mg/
100 g of dried eggplant samples. Significant variation in the 5-caf-
feoylquinic acid content (2.24–8.30 mg/100 g, % RSD = 48.1%) was
observed in different eggplant samples collected from different
plants grown under conventional conditions. Similar variations
(1.36–4.04 mg/100 g, % RSD = 40.1%) in 5-caffeoylquinic acid con-
tent were observed when eggplant samples (cv. Blackbell) were
grown in organic environment. The grand mean 5-caffeoylquinic
acid content in conventionally grown eggplant samples (4.11 mg/
100 g) was higher than the same cultivar of eggplant sample grown
under organic conditions (2.63 mg/100 g). Relatively, high stan-
dard deviation in plant phenolics may be attributed to biological
variations between plant-to-plant and their response to environ-
mental factors, such as light intensity, stress, and nutrient avail-
ability. (Broeckling et al., 2005; Herms & Mattson, 1992).
Assay of TP content in eggplant extracts as quantified by color-
imetric Folin–Ciocalteu test also showed similar trend as compared
to the quantification of 5-caffeoylquinic acid by HPLC analysis. The
grand mean of TP content in conventionally and organically grown
Blackbell cultivar were 9.88 mg GAE/g and 8.90 mg GAE/g, respec-
tively (Table 2). Thus, conventional grown eggplant contained mar-
ginally higher TP as compared to organically grown eggplant
samples. However, analysis of variance showed no statistical dif-
ferences in 5-caffeoylquinic acid content in eggplant samples
grown under organic and conventional environments (Table 3).
Similar to cv. Blackbell, wide variations in the 5-caffeoylquinic
acid content (% RSD > 22%) were observed when cv. Millionaire
eggplants samples collected from different plants were assayed
for phenolic content by HPLC. The grand mean of 5-caffeoylquinic
acid content in conventionally and organically grown cv. Million-
aire was reversed with organic grown eggplants showing margin-
ally higher grand mean (6.71 mg/100 g) as compared to the
conventional grown cv. Millionaire (5.94 mg/100 g). The percent
relative standard deviation of 5-caffeoylquinic acid content in cv.
Millionaire grown under conventional and organic environments
was also lower (% RSD 25%) as compared to cv. Blackbell (%
RSD 45%). Like cv. Blackbell, analysis of variance showed no statis-
tical difference in 5-caffeoylquinic acid content between eggplant
samples grown under organic and conventional environments (Ta-
ble 3).
18
Folin-Ciocalteu Assay (mg/g GAE)
16
14
12
y = 1.0864x + 5.7415
10
2
R = 0.8738
8
6
4
2
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
5-Caffeoylqunic Acid Content (mg/g)
Fig. 2. Correlation between total phenolic content as assayed by Folin–Ciocalteu
assay and 5-caffeoylqunic acid, a major phenolic acid in eggplant extract as assay by
HPLC using photo-diode array detection.
The TP content as quantified by Folin–Ciocalteu assay proce-
dures in both Millionaire and Blackbell cultivars also showed sim-
ilar trend as compared to the 5-caffeoylquinic acid content assayed
by HPLC. Marginally high total phenolic content was measured in
cv. Blackbell grown under conventionally condition (grand
mean = 9.88 mg/g GAE) as compared to Blackbell grown under or-
ganic environment (grand mean = 8.90 mg/g GAE). The trend was
reversed with cv. Millionaire where organically grown samples
had marginally high TP content (grand mean = 13.64 mg/g GAE)
as compared to conventionally grown eggplant samples (grand
mean = 11.61 mg/g GAE). Analysis of variance showed significant
difference (a = 0.05) in the TP content of organically and conven-
tionally grown eggplant samples. The correlation between the TP
Folin–Ciocalteu assay and HPLC analysis for all 32 eggplant sample
was strong (R2 = 0.87, Fig. 2). These results suggest that 5-caffeoyl-
quinic acid is the major antioxidant phytochemical in eggplants.
Statistical analysis of both HPLC and colorimetric Foiln–Ciocalteu
data showed significant differences in the phenolic content in
two cultivars (Blackbell and Millionaire, Table 3). Cv. Millionaire
showed higher phenolic content as assayed by two independent
procedures as compared to cv. Blackbell.
These results presented above suggest that it is essential to ana-
lyze multiple samples per variety per growing condition in order to
quantify phenolic content of different plants and their products as
significant plant-to-plant variation in phenolic content was ob-
served. Multiple analyses become critical if one needs to draw
any specific conclusions about influence of environment and grow-
ing condition on phenolic content. In addition, repetition over mul-
tiple growing seasons at different locations should always be
carried to unambiguously prove the impact of growing conditions
on phenolic content.
4. Conclusions
The HPLC analysis results showed significant plant-to-plant
variations in 5-caffeoylquinic acid content (% RSD ranged from
22% to 48%) in eight eggplant samples collected from eight differ-
ent plants belonging to same cultivar and grown under similar
environmental conditions. The cv. Millionaire showed higher phe-
nolic content as compared to the cv. Blackbell by both HPLC and
Foiln–Ciocalteu assay procedures. No significant consistent trend
in the phenolic acid content of eggplant samples was observed
with both eggplant cultivars grown with either organic or conven-
tional farming practices. The correlation between total phenolic
content as assayed by Folin–Ciocalteu assay and 5-caffeoylqunic
 D. Luthria et al. / Food Chemistry 121 (2010) 406–411
acid, a major phenolic acid in eggplant extract was strong
(R2 = 0.87). These results suggest that it is essential to analyze mul-
tiple samples per variety per growing condition in order to draw
any specific conclusions about influence of environment and/or
growing conditions on phenolic content changes. In addition, sam-
ples grown over multiple seasons at different locations should al-
ways be included to unambiguously prove the impact of
environment and/or growing conditions on phenolic content
changes.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Ms. Allison Setia and Mr. An-
drew Anderson for their help in carrying out experimentation
and preparation of this manuscript.
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