Abstract:

A 21-day human feeding trial was conducted using fresh and processed turnip products (turnip crisp and beverage)
as experimental objects, commercially available antihypoxic Rhodiola capsules as positive control and starch capsules as
placebo. All subjects received hypoxia reaction tests. During the tests, uncomfortable responses, SpO2 and heart rates were
recorded. Meanwhile, blood routine indexes, serum SOD and CAT activities and MDA content of all subjects were also
determined. Results revealed that fresh turnip as well as its processed products could effectively alleviate hypoxia reaction
symptoms. Except for the placebo group, the mean heart rates of the subjects on the 21st day in all experimental groups
were smaller when compared with those before the test. As for the antioxidant capacity analysis, serum SOD activities in
the positive control and turnip crisp group elevated significantly after 7-day treatments when compared with that before the
test (P ＜ 0.05). The same result for the turnip crisp group after administration for 14 days was observed (P ＜ 0.05). The
CAT activity of all experimental groups also exhibited a significant increase on the 21st day when compared with the placebo
group, while MDA contents in all experimental groups declined significantly (P ＜ 0.05). In conclusion, turnip and its
processed products have the same bioactive activity as Rhodiola. The turnip crisp retains most of the bioactive components
present in fresh turnip. Thus it can be developed as a snack food with the potential resistance to altitude sickness.

Key words: Tibetan turnip, functional food, anti-hypoxia capacity, human feeding trial