Broccoli, Kale, and Radish Sprouts: Key Phytochemical Constituents and DPPH Free Radical Scavenging Activity

Our research group previously found that broccoli sprouts possess neuroprotective effects during pregnancy. The active compound has been identified as sulforaphane (SFA), obtained from glucosinolate and glucoraphanin, which are also present in other crucifers, including kale. Sulforaphene (SFE), obtained from glucoraphenin in radish, also has numerous biological benefits, some of which supersede those of sulforaphane. It is likely that other components, such as phenolics, contribute to the biological activity of cruciferous vegetables. Notwithstanding their beneficial phytochemicals, crucifers are known to contain erucic acid, an antinutritional fatty acid. The aim of this research was to phytochemically examine broccoli, kale, and radish sprouts to determine good sources of SFA and SFE to inform future studies of the neuroprotective activity of cruciferous sprouts on the fetal brain, as well as product development. Three broccoli: Johnny’s Sprouting Broccoli (JSB), Gypsy F1 (GYP), and Mumm’s Sprouting Broccoli (MUM), one kale: Johnny’s Toscano Kale (JTK), and three radish cultivars: Black Spanish Round (BSR), Miyashige (MIY), and Nero Tunda (NT), were analyzed. We first quantified the glucosinolate, isothiocyanate, phenolics, and DPPH free radical scavenging activity (AOC) of one-day-old dark- and light-grown sprouts by HPLC. Radish cultivars generally had the highest glucosinolate and isothiocyanate contents, and kale had higher glucoraphanin and significantly higher sulforaphane content than the broccoli cultivars. Lighting conditions did not significantly affect the phytochemistry of the one-day-old sprouts. Based on phytochemistry and economic factors, JSB, JTK, and BSR were chosen for further sprouting for three, five, and seven days and subsequently analyzed. The three-day-old JTK and radish cultivars were identified to be the best sources of SFA and SFE, respectively, both yielding the highest levels of the respective compound while retaining high levels of phenolics and AOC and markedly lower erucic acid levels compared to one-day-old sprouts.

[1]  C. Manach,et al.  Systematic Review on the Metabolic Interest of Glucosinolates and Their Bioactive Derivatives for Human Health , 2023, Nutrients.

[2]  L. Methven,et al.  Influence of Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) Accession and Growing Conditions on Myrosinase Activity, Glucosinolates and Their Hydrolysis Products , 2021, Foods.

[3]  Lorena Martínez-Zamora,et al.  Postharvest UV-B and UV-C radiation enhanced the biosynthesis of glucosinolates and isothiocyanates in Brassicaceae sprouts , 2021 .

[4]  J. Hodgson,et al.  Glucosinolates From Cruciferous Vegetables and Their Potential Role in Chronic Disease: Investigating the Preclinical and Clinical Evidence , 2021, Frontiers in Pharmacology.

[5]  Y. Ling,et al.  Correlation Study of Antioxidant Activity with Phenolic and Flavonoid Compounds in 12 Indonesian Indigenous Herbs , 2021, Antioxidants.

[6]  C. Xue,et al.  Preparation of Sulforaphene from Radish Seed Extracts with Recombinant Food-Grade Yarrowia lipolytica Harboring High Myrosinase Activity. , 2021, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[7]  Adnan Mohsin Abdulazeez,et al.  A Review of Principal Component Analysis Algorithm for Dimensionality Reduction , 2021 .

[8]  S. Persad,et al.  Sulforaphane (SFA) protects neuronal cells from oxygen & glucose deprivation (OGD) , 2021, PloS one.

[9]  M. Pizzi,et al.  From Preclinical Stroke Models to Humans: Polyphenols in the Prevention and Treatment of Stroke , 2020, Nutrients.

[10]  A. Camargo,et al.  Phytochemical profile and functionality of Brassicaceae species , 2020 .

[11]  K. Witzel,et al.  Identification and Characterization of Three Epithiospecifier Protein Isoforms in Brassica oleracea , 2019, Front. Plant Sci..

[12]  P. Mitrović,et al.  Genetic diversity and virulence ofXanthomonas campestrispv.campestrisisolates fromBrassica napusand sixBrassica oleraceacrops in Serbia , 2019, Plant Pathology.

[13]  B. Urlić,et al.  Kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) as a superfood: Review of the scientific evidence behind the statement , 2019, Critical reviews in food science and nutrition.

[14]  Niranjan Koirala,et al.  Total Phenolic Content, Flavonoid Content and Antioxidant Potential of Wild Vegetables from Western Nepal , 2019, Plants.

[15]  D. Moreno,et al.  Sorting out the Value of Cruciferous Sprouts as Sources of Bioactive Compounds for Nutrition and Health , 2019, Nutrients.

[16]  S. Awasthi,et al.  Oxidative stress in intensive care unit patients: a review of glutathione linked metabolism and lipid peroxidation , 2019, The Southwest Respiratory and Critical Care Chronicles.

[17]  J. J. Moreno,et al.  Polyphenols, food and pharma. Current knowledge and directions for future research. , 2018, Biochemical pharmacology.

[18]  Choon Nam Ong,et al.  Profiling of Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of 12 Cruciferous Vegetables , 2018, Molecules.

[19]  A. Mainal,et al.  Content of Erucic Acid in Edible Oils and Mustard by Quantitative 13C NMR , 2018 .

[20]  A. Pawlik,et al.  Sulforaphene, an isothiocyanate present in radish plants, inhibits proliferation of human breast cancer cells. , 2017, Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology.

[21]  Qipeng Yuan,et al.  Glucoraphenin, sulforaphene, and antiproliferative capacity of radish sprouts in germinating and thermal processes , 2017, European Food Research and Technology.

[22]  Edward A. Armstrong,et al.  Consumption of broccoli sprouts during late gestation and lactation confers protection against developmental delay induced by maternal inflammation , 2016, Behavioural Brain Research.

[23]  L. Lugaric,et al.  Assessment of the differences in the physical, chemical and phytochemical properties of four strawberry cultivars using principal component analysis. , 2016, Food chemistry.

[24]  Edward A. Armstrong,et al.  Broccoli sprout supplementation during pregnancy prevents brain injury in the newborn rat following placental insufficiency , 2015, Behavioural Brain Research.

[25]  M. Oliveira,et al.  Evaluating the impact of sprouting conditions on the glucosinolate content of Brassica oleracea sprouts. , 2015, Phytochemistry.

[26]  M. Stahl,et al.  The antibacterial properties of isothiocyanates. , 2015, Microbiology.

[27]  S. A. H. Goli,et al.  Oil Content and Fatty Acids Composition in Brassica Species , 2015 .

[28]  M. Pinto,et al.  Effect of sprouting and light cycle on antioxidant activity of Brassica oleracea varieties. , 2014, Food chemistry.

[29]  A. Giordano,et al.  Low concentrations of isothiocyanates protect mesenchymal stem cells from oxidative injuries, while high concentrations exacerbate DNA damage , 2012, Apoptosis.

[30]  G. Scapagnini,et al.  Modulation of Nrf2/ARE Pathway by Food Polyphenols: A Nutritional Neuroprotective Strategy for Cognitive and Neurodegenerative Disorders , 2011, Molecular Neurobiology.

[31]  D. Moreno,et al.  Genotypic effects on the phytochemical quality of seeds and sprouts from commercial broccoli cultivars , 2011 .

[32]  F. Elbarbry,et al.  Potential health benefits of sulforaphane: A review of the experimental, clinical and epidemiological evidences and underlying mechanisms , 2011 .

[33]  H. Kozłowska,et al.  Effect of light conditions on the contents of glucosinolates in germinating seeds of white mustard, red radish, white radish, and rapeseed. , 2008, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[34]  D. Moreno,et al.  Influence of light on health-promoting phytochemicals of broccoli sprouts , 2008 .

[35]  D. Vance,et al.  Apolipoprotein B and triacylglycerol secretion in human triacylglycerol hydrolase transgenic mice Published, JLR Papers in Press, September 18, 2007. , 2007, Journal of Lipid Research.

[36]  D. Barrett,et al.  Quantitative measurement of sulforaphane, iberin and their mercapturic acid pathway metabolites in human plasma and urine using liquid chromatography-tandem electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry. , 2006, Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences.

[37]  Nathan V. Matusheski,et al.  Epithiospecifier protein from broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. ssp. italica) inhibits formation of the anticancer agent sulforaphane. , 2006, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[38]  Nathan V. Matusheski,et al.  Heating decreases epithiospecifier protein activity and increases sulforaphane formation in broccoli. , 2004, Phytochemistry.

[39]  F. Rossi,et al.  Glucoraphanin and 4-hydroxyglucobrassicin contents in seeds of 59 cultivars of broccoli, raab, kohlrabi, radish, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, and cabbage. , 2004, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[40]  M. Hendrickx,et al.  Kinetic study of the irreversible thermal and pressure inactivation of myrosinase from broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. Cv. italica). , 1999, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[41]  J. Fahey,et al.  Broccoli sprouts: an exceptionally rich source of inducers of enzymes that protect against chemical carcinogens. , 1997, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[42]  J. Folch,et al.  A simple method for the isolation and purification of total lipides from animal tissues. , 1957, The Journal of biological chemistry.

[43]  S. Petropoulos.  Glucosinolates: Properties, Recovery, and Applications , 2020 .

[44]  Shuchun Lin,et al.  Variation and Correlation of Erucic Acid, Oleic Acid and Glucosinolate Contents in Brassica rapa Seeds , 2018 .

[45]  S. Srivastava,et al.  Mechanisms of the Anticancer Effects of Isothiocyanates. , 2015, The Enzymes.

[46]  F. Tamanoi,et al.  Mechanism of the anticancer effect of phytochemicals , 2015 .

[47]  M. Vos,et al.  Indole glucosinolate breakdown and its biological effects , 2008, Phytochemistry Reviews.