Quality traits of globe artichoke ecotypes from Sicilian small holdings

In Sicily (South Italy), together with the widely cultivated genotypes, several globe artichoke ecotypes are traditionally cultivated for either self-consumption or destination of capitula to local markets. With a view to safeguard this agrobiodiversity from the risk of extinction, due to the introduction of the most profitable commercial and exotic genotypes, our aim was to elucidate some quality characteristics of 18 Sicilian ecotypes in order to valorize them for specific end-uses. Our results highlighted as some of the considered morphological (i.e. capitulum fresh weight and receptacle incidence) and nutritional (i.e. total polyphenols content) characteristics were able to distinguish the globe artichoke ecotypes. Among the evaluated nutritional traits, the total polyphenol content (TPC) appeared to be strongly affected by genotype and may be used as a target trait for diversifying the end-uses of these ecotypes. In this respect, ‘Santa Domenica Vittoria’ and ‘Monterosso Almo’, which presented a higher TPC in the receptacle (edible part), may be probably best suited for the fresh consumption. By contrast, some ecotypes (e.g. ‘Belpasso’ and ‘Quartarella’) seemed more suitable for food processing due to their low TPC in the receptacle and less tendency to total color changes after cutting.