The flavor of Chinese kale sprouts is affected by genotypic variation of glucosinolates and their breakdown products

Wei Zeng; Han Tao; Yubo Li; Jiansheng Wang; Chuchu Xia; Songwen Li; Mengyu Wang; Qiaomei Wang; Huiying Miao

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129824

The flavor of Chinese kale sprouts is affected by genotypic variation of glucosinolates and their breakdown products

Food Chem. 2021 Oct 15:359:129824. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129824. Epub 2021 Apr 20.

Authors

Wei Zeng¹, Han Tao¹, Yubo Li¹, Jiansheng Wang², Chuchu Xia¹, Songwen Li¹, Mengyu Wang¹, Qiaomei Wang³, Huiying Miao⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
² Institute of Vegetables, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address: qiaomeiw@zju.edu.cn.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address: miaoamiao@zju.edu.cn.

PMID: 33965761
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129824

Abstract

Metabolic profiling of glucosinolates and their breakdown products in sprouts of 22 Chinese kale (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra, BOA) varieties were investigated by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Relationships between glucosinolate metabolites and flavor of Chinese kale sprouts were also analyzed. Results showed that compositions and contents of both glucosinolates and their breakdown products varied greatly among different varieties of Chinese kale sprouts. Gluconapin and 4,5-Epithio-pentanenitrile were the dominant glucosinolate and glucosinolate breakdown product in Chinese kale sprouts, respectively. Gluconapin and glucobrassicin were significantly related to bitterness (r = 0.577, 0.648, respectively; p < 0.05). BOA 1 and BOA 13, BOA 3 and BOA 10 are good candidates for future breeding programs since the former two varieties have light bitterness and pungency, and the latter two varieties contain high levels of glucosinolate breakdown products such as isothiocyanates and epithionitriles in sprouts.

Keywords: Bitterness; Chinese kale sprouts; Epithionitriles; Genotypic variation; Isothiocyanates; Nitriles.

MeSH terms

Brassica / chemistry
Brassica / genetics*
Genotype*
Glucosinolates / analysis
Glucosinolates / genetics*
Plant Breeding
Taste*

Substances

Glucosinolates