Changes in Glucosinolates during Refrigerated Storage of Cabbage

Changes in glucosinolates, determined by quantifying their hydrolytic breakdown products, volatile isothiocyanates, thiocyanate ion, and vinyl-oxazolidine-2-thione (goitrin), was studied at intervals in heads of 3 cultivars of cabbage, Brassica oleracea L. (Capitata group), kept in refrigerated air storage at 1 ± 1°C between 5 and 215 days. There were substantial fluctuations in these glucosinolate products which occurred during storage in descending order of yield, volatile isothiocyanates, thiocyanate ion, and goitrin. During storage ‘F1 Mercury’ cabbage was higher in quality and showed less storage disorders than ‘Hidena’ and ‘Safekeeper’ cabbages, in this order. Yields of total glucosinolates in the 3 cultivars averaged over the storage period occurred in the same corresponding order: ‘F1 Mercury’ > ‘Hidena’ > ‘Safekeeper’.