Colourful radishes for healthier
salad
BK Singh*, TK Koley, Bijendra Singh, and PM Singh
ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Shahanshahpur-221305, Varanasi,
Uttar Pradesh
*E-mail: bksinghkushinagar@yahoo.co.in
Radish is an
important salad-vegetable grown and consumed throughout the world for its fleshy
roots. Anthocyanins’ (the most versatile
polyphenols and a class of pigments) presence is responsible for the pink, red,
purple and violet coloured radishes. Among anthocyanins, pelargonidine and cyanidine
are responsible for pink/red and purple/violet colour, respectively. Coloured radishes
in the salads and as colorants are gaining popularity because of their antioxidant
properties and other potential health benefits. Anthocyanins, in general, are
known to lower the possibility of cardiovascular disease, prevent obesity,
inhibit the formation and progression of atherosclerosis, and reduce the risk
of diabetes, certain types of cancers, oxidative stresses and age-related
diseases.
The six
genotypes developed have better yield potential, superior root quality (uniform
shape, smoother root and a fewer secondary roots), more phyto-nutrients, and
are are found to have potential in four categories of root pigmentation— red exterior
(VRRAD-143 and VRRAD-131-2); red exterior and red xylem (VRRAD-130); purple
exterior (VRRAD-131 and VRRAD-135); and purple exterior and purple xylem
(VRRAD-151). They possess 80-250% higher amounts of nutrients, namely ascorbic acid (18.5–26.5.0 mg/100 g FW), total phenolics (32.5–65.0 mg/100 g FW), anthocyanins
content (90–175 µg/g FW), antioxidant-FRAP value (3.15–5.90 µmol/g FW) and
antioxidant-CUPRAC value (5.25–11.50 µmol/g FW) as compared to white-coloured
commercial cultivars. Therefore, dressing salads with these radishes would make
salad more nutritious and healthy.
