On the self-healing powers of stressed cucumbers

Created by Lukas Maschek | |   SLW News

How does the cultivation system affect the health and shelf life of our food? A team of researchers led by Marjolein Doesburg-van Kleffens investigated this question using a stress storage test for cucumbers. In this study from 2025, they examined the effects of different cultivation systems - conventional, organic and biodynamic - on the shelf life of cucumbers. According to the results of the study, biodynamically grown cucumbers performed particularly well in the stress test.

The quality of food is difficult to assess, as chemical analyses of individual ingredients often reveal little about their nutritional value or other properties. Previous experiments have shown that biodynamically and organically grown plants contain more secondary plant substances and are more resistant to stress. The stress storage test for cucumbers was developed on this basis.

Figure 1: Experimental setup. First, the different cucumbers are coded, measured and cut. After two weeks of storage, a further examination is carried out.

Specifically, the stress storage test examines three parameters: antimicrobial properties, color retention and wound healing of the cut surfaces. These are intended to record the reaction of the cucumbers to unfavorable storage conditions. Each cucumber was cut into 15-20 mm thick slices and stored under standardized conditions at 23.5° C for 14 days. The color loss, microbial load and wound healing of the slices were then evaluated. To determine wound healing, the cucumber slices were wrapped in foil to keep them in shape during storage. Subsequently, weights were applied to the re-grown cucumber to measure the force required to separate the cucumber slices again.

The experiments were carried out in three laboratories located in Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. The cucumbers used were sourced from local supermarkets, health food stores and local markets.

The results show that biodynamically grown cucumbers performed best in all three categories, followed by organic and finally conventional samples. In 58 to 71 % of the experiments, the biodynamic samples showed the best shelf life under stress conditions, while conventional cucumbers were only ahead in 4 to 8 % of the cases. The organically grown cucumbers showed the best results in 25 to 38% of cases. The biodynamic cucumbers showed significantly better values for color retention and wound healing in particular. In addition, a considerably higher dry matter content was measured for biodynamic and organic cucumbers in comparison to conventional cucumbers.

Figure 2: Evaluation of the stress storage tests. A: color retention properties, B: antimicrobial properties, C: healing capacity of the cucumber slices. Cultivation systems: Conv: conventional, Org: organic, Dyn: biodynamic. The asterisks indicate the statistical significance level: ****: p < 0.0001, ***: p < 0.001, **: p < 0.01, *: p < 0.1.

These differences could be explained by the higher concentration of secondary plant substances and a stronger plant defense against microorganisms. Biodynamic preparations in particular appear to have a positive influence on the plant microbiome and thus increase resistance to environmental stress and pathogens. A higher concentration of secondary plant substances could also explain the higher dry matter content in biodynamic and organic cucumbers.

Comment
The higher resistance of biodynamic cucumbers can be interpreted as an indication of good health and intact plant defenses. The study also confirms earlier findings that biodynamic preparations such as horn manure and horn silica have a positive influence on the soil microflora and can contribute to improving plant quality and health. However, it is not clear from the study whether the improved storage properties of the cucumbers go hand in hand with an increased nutritional value. In addition, more comprehensive data and analyses on production conditions, the plant microbiome and secondary plant substances would be desirable. Overall, the study results suggest that the cultivation method has a significant influence on the vitality of the cucumbers. From the perspective of biodynamics, it is particularly interesting that the parameters tested are closely linked to the concept of vitality, a central biodynamic aspect.

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