Improvement in the cynaropicrin, caffeoylquinic acid and flavonoid content of globe artichokes with gibberellic acid treatment

Increasing interest has been shown in globe artichoke for pharmaceutical and food applications as a significant source of polyphenol compounds. With the aim to improve the polyphenol profile of globe artichoke, an open-field experiment is set up to study the effect of gibberellic acid (GA₃) application on the cynaropicrin, caffeoylquinic acid and flavone levels of three genotypes (‘Apollo’, ‘Tema 2000’ and ‘Violet de Provence’), along with crop earliness, yield and bio-morphological plant response. The results indicate that GA₃ treatment is more effective in terms of total polyphenol and caffeoylquinic acid accumulation in ‘Apollo’, regardless of the plant parts analyzed. In particular, the leaves of ‘Apollo’ were the richest source of luteolin derivatives of 5-O- and 1,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acids. On average across the genotypes, GA₃ treatment favored the accumulation of apigenin derivatives in the floral stem, and caffeoylquinic acid and cynaropicrin in the leaves. From the perspective of yield, GA₃ treatment allowed us to anticipate the first harvest in each genotype, while either maintaining (‘Apollo’, ‘Violet de Provence’) or enhancing (‘Tema 2000’) the fresh weight yield. In conclusion, this study could be interesting for promoting GA₃ usage to ameliorate the globe artichoke nutraceutical profile and to anticipate the first harvest for fresh marketing without significant yield losses.