Variation of glucosinolates in vegetable crops of Brassica oleracea.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Level 5 by design analogy; agricultural and laboratory phytochemical study without human data.
PubMed 10564014 · doi:10.1021/jf980985s
What was done
Researchers measured glucosinolate profiles and concentrations across 65 accessions representing five crop groups of *Brassica oleracea* (50 broccoli, 4 Brussels sprouts, 6 cabbage, 3 cauliflower, and 2 kale) grown under uniform cultural conditions.
What was found
Glucosinolate concentrations and types varied significantly across and within groups. In broccoli, the predominant glucosinolates were glucoraphanin (4-methylsulfinylbutyl glucosinolate), gluconapin (3-butenyl glucosinolate), and glucobrassicin (3-indolylmethyl glucosinolate), with glucoraphanin ranging from 0.8 µmol/g dry weight (DW) in EV6-1 to 21.7 µmol/g DW in Brigadier. In Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale, the predominant glucosinolates were sinigrin (8.9, 7.8, 9.3, and 10.4 µmol/g DW, respectively) and glucobrassicin (3.2, 0.9, 1.3, and 1.2 µmol/g DW, respectively). Brussels sprouts also contained 6.9 µmol/g DW of gluconapin.
Why it matters
Demonstrating wide genetic variation in glucosinolate content, especially glucoraphanin in broccoli, identifies specific cultivars suitable for breeding programs aimed at enhancing dietary bioactive compounds.
Limits
This study evaluated only raw plant chemistry under uniform laboratory/agricultural conditions without evaluating human bioavailability, metabolism, preparation/cooking effects, or clinical health endpoints. Accession numbers were heavily skewed toward broccoli (50 accessions) relative to kale (2), cauliflower (3), Brussels sprouts (4), and cabbage (6).
Cited by
- supports Cabbage and cauliflower contain essentially no glucoraphanin.
- supports Cabbage contains hardly any glucoraphanin compared to broccoli sprouts.