Quality of Fresh and Processed Red Beet from Organic and Conventional Cultivation

The aim of this study was to evaluate the biological value of fresh red beet and sensory quality of pickled red beet prepared from roots from organic and conventional cultivation systems. Two cultivars of red beet cv. Czerwona Kula and cv. Opolski were grown by conventional and organic systems in the years 2008-2009 on certificated Experimental Field of Research Institute of Vegetable Crops in Skierniewice. Chemical analyses of fresh red beets were carried out immediately after harvest but the sensory evaluation of pickled beets was carried out by trained panel according to PN-ISO guidelines applying the sensory profiling analysis. Results have shown that the method of cultivation had a positive effect on the chemical composition of fresh roots of red beet. The roots of both cultivars from organic cultivation contained significantly more dry matter, sugars and betanins, and accumulated less nitrate than roots from conventional cultivation. There was no significant effect of cultivar and method of cultivation on the overall sensory quality of pickled red beets. Comparison of sensory evaluation for pickles of two cultivars from organic cultivation showed that canned red beets from cultivar Czerwona Kula characterized by slightly darker color, firmer flesh and more typical taste of red beet as compared to samples from cultivar Opolski. Pickled red beets from conventional cultivation characterized by firmer flesh compared to the pickled beets from organic cultivation, more noticeable taste of pickled cucumbers and flavor of fruit.