The Influence of Processing and Preservation on the Retention of Health‐Promoting Compounds in Broccoli

Abstract

In this work the effects of common household practices such as chilling, freezing, and cooking on vitamin C retention in broccoli (Marathon cv.), as well as their influence on the release of sulforaphane upon enzymatic hydrolysis of glucoraphanin by the endogenous enzyme myrosinase, were investigated. When chilled at 6 degrees C and 95% R.H. for 35 d, broccoli showed a vitamin C and sulforaphane loss of about 39% and 29%, respectively, while storage at -18 degrees C for 60 d resulted in similar losses, but mainly due to the blanching step. Boiling, steaming, microwaving, pressure-cooking, and the combined use of pressure and microwaves were the cooking methods investigated. Boiling and steaming caused significant vitamin C losses, 34% and 22%, respectively, while with the other treatments more than 90% retention was observed. Sulforaphane was no more detectable after boiling or steaming, while pressure/microwave cooking did not cause any significant loss. The quantitative distribution of these moieties in the florets and stems of fresh and chilled broccoli was also investigated.

Vitamin C content in leaves and roots of horseradish (Armoracia rusticana): seasonal variation in fresh tissues and retention as affected by storage conditions

“…Considering such criterion, in horseradish a decrease of vitamin C of about 10% occurred after 60 days of storage for roots, young and mature leaves, and a loss of 50% was achieved at 10 months, with an estimated monthly loss of vitamin C of 5% for all tissues throughout the storage period. Similar results have been reported in the literature for other vegetables (Galgano et al, 2007;Howard et al, 1999;Wu et al, 1992). In root of horseradish, Kosson and Horbowicz (2008) recorded a vitamin C decline of about 20 -30% after 10 months of storage at 0 -1 °C, highlighting that the residual content could be considered still high ranging from 74 to 156 mg 100 g -1 fw.…”

“…After harvest, many other factors influence the spoilage and vitamin C losses as the postharvest handling conditions, processing techniques and storage conditions (Davey et al, 2000;Galgano et al, 2002;Lee and Kader, 2000). In general, fresh fruits and vegetables contain more vitamin C than those stored (Galgano et al, 2007); thus, the vitamin C losses could be controlled within certain limits by using appropriate postharvest procedures to maintain as much as possible the compositional quality in plant foods. The processing techniques applied to food and vegetables, such as canning, freezing, and dehydration, to provide all-year-round availability of these foods can also result in significant losses of vitamin C. The extent of these losses is highly variable; losses of over 50% are typical for vegetables, but are much less for most fruits and in particular acid fruits (Davey et al, 2000).…”

“…glucosinolates, polyphenols, vitamins) are gaining interest due to the wide range of clinic and pharmacological properties, as to be of fundamental importance for human nutrition and health (Björkman et al, 2011;Sayeed et al, 2017). In this respect, scientists are focusing on methods and strategies addressed to improve the content of health-affecting compounds of plant foods, either in terms of the amounts present in commercial crops (fruits and vegetables) to maximize benefits for production and nutritional quality, or in minimizing losses before consumption during processing and storage (Davey et al, 2000;Galgano et al, 2007). Among the bioactive molecules, of particular interest is vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid), a universal constituent of fruits and vegetables that has an important role in cellular growth, protecting both the plants and mammals from oxidative stress (Davey et al, 2000;Smirnoff and Wheeler 2000).…”

Development of a Novel Functional Soup Rich in Bioactive Sulforaphane Using Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. ssp. italica) Florets and Byproducts

“…Nonetheless, by 5 min steaming time sulforaphane levels were equivalent to those in unheated broccoli. Galgano, Favati, Caruso, Pietrafesa, & Natella (2007) on the other hand showed how sulforaphane production was dramatically higher in broccoli tissue following microwave cooking compared to boiling and steaming. It is clear from these studies that sulforaphane production can be significantly reduced during domestic cooking and therefore special care must be taken to optimize cooking practices to ensure adequate levels of bioactive isothiocyanates are present in the final cooked product.…”

The Effect of Processing on Chemical Constituents of Agaricus spp. Mushrooms

“…This may include cutting, blanching, soaking or boiling. Moreover, mushrooms which are intended to be stored for a period of time (dried, frozen, pickled or canned) are often subjected to blanching, soaking or boiling (Galgano et al, 2007;Yao and Ren, 2011;Ahmed and Ali, 2013). Several previous studies have reported that treatments of vegetables, especially those above mentioned, where elevated temperature is involved, may lead to substantial changes in the chemical composition of mushrooms (e.g.…”