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. 2017 Oct 4;65(39):8578-8585.
doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.7b01380. Epub 2017 Sep 20.

High-Pressure Processing of Broccoli Sprouts: Influence on Bioactivation of Glucosinolates to Isothiocyanates

Anna Westphal  1 , Kenneth M Riedl  2 , Jessica L Cooperstone  2 , Shreya Kamat  2 , V M Balasubramaniam  2 , Steven J Schwartz  2 , Volker Böhm  1
Affiliations

High-Pressure Processing of Broccoli Sprouts: Influence on Bioactivation of Glucosinolates to Isothiocyanates

Anna Westphal et al. J Agric Food Chem. .

Abstract

Effects of high-pressure processing (HPP, 100-600 MPa for 3 min at 30 °C) on the glucosinolate content, conversion to isothiocyanates, and color changes during storage in fresh broccoli sprouts were investigated. A mild heat treatment (60 °C) and boiling (100 °C) were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. Glucosinolates were quantified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and isothiocyanates were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection. A formation of isothiocyanates was observed in all high-pressure-treated sprouts. The highest degree of conversion (85%) was observed after the 600 MPa treatment. Increased isothiocyanate formation at 400-600 MPa suggests an inactivation of the epithiospecifier protein. During storage, color changed from green to brownish, reflected by increasing a* values and decreasing L* values. This effect was less pronounced for sprouts treated at 100 and 600 MPa, indicating an influence on the responsible enzymes. In summary, HPP had no negative effects on the glucosinolate-myrosinase system in broccoli sprouts.

Keywords: Brassica oleracae; epithiospecifier protein; myrosinase.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Total glucosinolate (GLS) and total isothiocyanate (ITC) contents in raw and thermal-treated broccoli sprouts, total isothiocyanate contents in HP-treated broccoli sprouts, and indication of the degrees of conversion (in %). nq = not quantifiable for LOQ. Different letters indicate significantly different results within one substance group (p ≤ 0.05; ANOVA, followed by S–N–K).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Effects of storage on the (a) L*, (b) a*, and (c) b* values of HP-treated broccoli sprouts. Control is the raw, untreated broccoli sprouts. The temperature during HPP was 30 ± 2 °C. Asterisks indicate significant differences between the HP-treated samples in comparison to the control sample on the same day (*, p ≤ 0.05; **, p ≤ 0.01; ***, p ≤ 0.001; two-tailed, unpaired t test). Different letters within one treatment indicate significantly different results over time (p ≤ 0.05; ANOVA, followed by S–N–K).
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