Green leafy mustard: A healthy alternative

Abstract

Peppery, crispy mustard greens are indeed one of the most nutritious green leafy vegetable available during the winter season. The mustard greens similar to spinach and fenugreek are the storehouse of the number of phytonutrients and have health promotional and disease prevention properties. Five selections from germplasm lines from Uttarakhand hills were evaluated for leaf traits, micronutrient profile and anti-oxidative properties. These lines were very tall, late maturing and slow-growing. The maximum leaf area was found in EEC-1 (590.42 cm 2 ) by virtue of its broadleaf (21.89cm) with high protein (26.68%) and zinc content (2.73mg). EEC-5 showed the highest fresh leaf weight (66.53g) and maximum content of iron (20.23mg). With maximum leaf length (40.72cm), EEC-4 was identified as an excellent source of â-carotene (6480µg) which is precursor of vitamin A. Leafy mustard selection EEC-3 possessed the highest amount of micronutrients like phosphorous (720mg), calcium (240mg) and manganese (6.49mg). Fresh mustard greens were found to be an excellent source of antioxidant like flavonoids (EEC-4, 4.88mg) and also show very high total antioxidative activity (EEC-5, 20.09mg). Therefore, from the above investigation, it was found that green mustard leaves can serve as a healthy alternative to most of the winter season leafy vegetables with their high nutraceutical and disease defensive role.

Effect of the Number of Dark Days and Planting Density on the Health-Promoting Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Capacity of Mustard (Brassica juncea) Sprouts

“…Seven glucosinolates of two classes, aliphatic and indolic, were detected in mustard sprouts in this study, with sinigrin being predominant. The abundance of these glucosinolates might contribute to the high nutritional value of mustard sprouts [ 2 , 3 ]. However, the content of glucosinolates is heavily affected by environmental conditions and cultivation methods; it thus responded strongly to these two factors examined in our study [ 35 ].…”

“…As planting densities increase, either direct elicitors from neighboring plants or indirect elicitors by competing nutrients and space lead to variation in the structural outcome of glucosinolate activation [ 43 ]. Thus, owing to nutrient and space stress, higher planting density (seeds at a density of 6–7 g) enhances yield as well as the nutritional value of mustard sprouts, and these changes are mostly associated with variations in glucosinolate concentrations [ 3 , 18 ].…”

“…Mustard ( Brassica juncea ) is a widely consumed, nutritious vegetable in the genus Brassica [ 1 ]. It is mostly cultivated for use as a fresh vegetable because of its high concentrations of bioactive components, such as chlorophyll, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, phenolic compounds, and glucosinolates, and many studies of these biochemical compounds in mustard have been conducted in recent years [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. The consumption of sprouts is increasing, and this increase has been largely driven by a growing trend in healthy eating habits among consumers [ 5 , 6 ].…”

Metabolomic profiling of health‐benefit compounds in fresh and preserved mustard greens

“…rugosa (L.) Czern. (mustard greens), a vegetable in the Brassicaceae family, is known for its deeply lobed, dark green and wrinkled leaves, offering a pungent, slightly peppery flavour (Pant et al ., 2020). Mustard greens, a valuable member of the oilseed crop category in the Rapeseed‐Mustard group, hold economic importance (Singh et al ., 2022).…”

Genetic diversity analysis using agro-morphological traits of Brassica juncea subspecies rugosa (Paharirai) from North-Eastern Himalayan region

“…Like any other leafy vegetable, it contains several phytonutrients for health enhancement and disease preventive properties. It contains numerous nutrients such as protein, iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and also including Vitamins A and E (Pant et al, 2020). Potential consumers who imbibe green mustard as a vegetable on a routine basis are protected from iron deficiency, osteoporosis, and a variety of cardiovascular disorders.…”