Methyl jasmonate treated broccoli: Impact on the production of glucosinolates and consumer preferences

Abstract

Applying methyl jasmonate can mimic the defense response to insect damage in broccoli and enhances the production of glucosinolates, especially inducible indolyl GS-neoglucobrassicin. Previous studies have suggested that glucosinolates and their hydrolysis products are anti-carcinogenic. Therefore, MeJA treatment may increase the nutritional quality of broccoli. However, there are few reports on the sensory evaluation and consumer acceptance of MeJA-treated broccoli. In this study, an untrained consumer panel could not detect any taste differences between steamed MeJA-treated and untreated broccoli, even though the steamed MeJA-treated broccoli contained 50% more glucosinolates than untreated broccoli. The partial least square-regression model suggested that neoglucobrassicin-derived hydrolysis compounds were the major metabolites that determined overall preference for raw MeJA-treated broccoli potentially due to their potential negative sensory qualities. The results imply that MeJA treatment can increase the nutritional quality of broccoli without sacrificing taste in precooked meals or frozen vegetables.

Keywords: Bitter; Broccoli; Glucosinolate; Metabolomics; Methyl jasmonate.