Maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp., Brassicaceae) is a Peruvian tuberous crop cultivated in the Andes mountains at altitudes above 3.500 m. It is grown for consumption of its nourishing hypocotyl and it is extensively used for nutritional and medicinal purposes. Maca is normally used to increase physical energy, support the immune system, and is traditionally considered to be an aphrodisiac which enhances fertility in humans and in domestic animals. The purpose of the study was to reveal how maca responds to diverse climatic conditions and what the prospects of its cultivation are out of its original area. The macamide (main quality marker of maca) content has been analyzed by HPLC-UV in plant material of various samples of maca of Peruvian origin and it was compared to content in samples of maca cultivated in the Czech Republic, under field conditions and in a greenhouse. There was a significantly lower concentration of macamides in the sample grown in the Czech Republic compared to the Peruvian samples. There were no macamides found in samples cultivated in the greenhouse. If we admit that macamides are responsible for fertility enhancing properties of maca, we can conclude there is no possibility of maca cultivation in the Czech Republic for this use.
Macamides and fatty acids content comparison in maca cultivated plant under field conditions and greenhouse
MILELLA, LUIGI
2012-01-01
Abstract
Maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp., Brassicaceae) is a Peruvian tuberous crop cultivated in the Andes mountains at altitudes above 3.500 m. It is grown for consumption of its nourishing hypocotyl and it is extensively used for nutritional and medicinal purposes. Maca is normally used to increase physical energy, support the immune system, and is traditionally considered to be an aphrodisiac which enhances fertility in humans and in domestic animals. The purpose of the study was to reveal how maca responds to diverse climatic conditions and what the prospects of its cultivation are out of its original area. The macamide (main quality marker of maca) content has been analyzed by HPLC-UV in plant material of various samples of maca of Peruvian origin and it was compared to content in samples of maca cultivated in the Czech Republic, under field conditions and in a greenhouse. There was a significantly lower concentration of macamides in the sample grown in the Czech Republic compared to the Peruvian samples. There were no macamides found in samples cultivated in the greenhouse. If we admit that macamides are responsible for fertility enhancing properties of maca, we can conclude there is no possibility of maca cultivation in the Czech Republic for this use.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
