Original Article Sugar-, acid- and phenol contents in apple cultivars from organic and integrated fruit cultivation Guarantors: K Hecke, K Herbinger, D Grill. Contributors: R Veberi, M Trobec, H Toplak, F Stampar, H Keppel. K Hecke1, K Herbinger1, R Veberi2, M Trobec2, H Toplak3, F tampar2, H Keppel4 and D Grill1 1Institute for Plant Sciences, Karl Franzens-University of Graz, Austria 2Institute for Fruit Growing, Viticulture and Vegetable Growing, Biotechnical Faculty, Agronomic Department, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia 3Department of Medicine, Diabetes and Metabolism, Karl-Franzens-University of Graz, Austria 4Institute of Horticulture and Viticulture, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria Correspondence: Dr K Hecke, Institute for Plant Sciences, Karl Franzens-University of Graz, Schubertstrasse 51, 8010 Graz, Austria. E-mail: karin.hecke@uni-graz.at Abstract Objective: This study was carried out to obtain data about the sugar-, acid- and phenol content of apple cultivars from organic and integrated fruit cultivation, with reference to their role in human health and especially for diet recommendations. Setting: Styria (Austria) and Slovenia. Interventions: HPLC, Spectral Photometry, organoleptic and olfactory tests. Results: The total sugar content of most cultivars from integrated cultivation ranged between 115 and 160 g/kg. Some cultivars from organic growing reached higher values. The acid content of both cultivar types was similar. The phenol content in organically grown cultivars was much higher than that of the ones from integrated cultivation. Conclusion: Knowledge of the sugar content is very important for diabetic patients, owing to the assumption of general diet recommendations that 100 g fruit contain 12 g carbohydrates. This applies to most well-known cultivars like Golden Delicious or Gala, but not to most of the regional cultivars. For diabetics, it is necessary to know the carbohydrate content of food precisely, in order to adapt the amount of insulin to the ingestion. So, it is helpful to know the sugar content of each regional cultivar. Moreover, very high levels of phenolic compound in organically grown cultivars, and with it its importance for human health leads to the recommendation to eat regional fruits from organic fruit growing instead of those grown under integrated cultivation. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2006) 60, 1136–1140. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602430; published online 3 May 2006 Posted here October 1, 2006 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.