The aim of this study was to evaluate the phytochemical composition and the antioxidant properties of watercress (Nasturtium officinale R. Br., Brassicaceae) produced under organic production system. Fresh baby-leaf watercress samples were collected from local organic farms. High performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) and high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) were used to assess the phytochemical composition, and spectrophotometric methods were used to assess the antioxidant capacity. Two major classes of healthier secondary plant metabolites were identified: phenolics and glucosinolates. The major phenolics determined were chlorogenic acid, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, dicaffeoyltartaric acid, and isorhamnetin. The glucosinolates were composed exclusively of gluconasturtiin, the precursor of the anticarcinogenic, and antimicrobial compound 2-phenylethyl isothiocyanate. The extracts of organic young baby-leaf watercress presented high antioxidant capacity and this property was highly related with caffeic acid, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, isorhamnetin, and glucosnastrutiin. The results achieved showed that baby-leaf watercress can provide high contents of antioxidant compounds at levels even superior to similar adult plant material.
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Aires et al. (2013) studied this question.