Chemical composition, nutritional value and antioxidant properties of Mediterranean okra genotypes in relation to harvest stage

- The effect of fruit size and genotype on chemical composition of okra was studied.
- Four Greek cultivars and landraces and four commercial cultivars were evaluated.
- Small fruit had a higher nutritional value for all the genotypes.
- Chemical composition in relation to pod size varied in a genotype dependent manner.
- The practice of harvesting fruit at small size increases nutritional value.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of fruit size on nutritional value, chemical composition and antioxidant properties of Mediterranean okra genotypes. For this purpose, pods from four okra cultivars and local landraces commonly cultivated in Greece, as well as pods from four commercial cultivars from North America were collected at two sizes (3-5 and >7 cm). Significant differences were observed between the studied genotypes for both nutritional value and chemical composition parameters. Small fruit had a higher nutritional value, whereas chemical composition differed in a genotype dependent manner with most of the studied cultivars showing better results when harvested in small size. In conclusion, fruit size has a genotype dependent impact on chemical composition and nutritional value of okra pods and the common practice of harvesting okra fruit while they still have a small size helps to increase nutritional value for most of the studied genotypes.