Abstract
Isothiocyanates (ITCs) are important functional components of cruciferous vegetables. The principal isothiocyanate molecule in broccoli is sulforaphane (SFN), followed by erucin (ERN). They are sensitive to changes in temperature, especially high temperature environments where they are prone to degradation. The present study investigates the effects of high hydrostatic pressure on isothiocyanate content, myrosinase activity, and other functional components of broccoli, and evaluates its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Broccoli samples were treated with different pressures and for varying treatment times; 15 min at 400 MPa generated the highest amounts of isothiocyanates. The content of flavonoids and vitamin C were not affected by the high-pressure processing strategy, whereas total phenolic content (TPC) exhibited an increasing tendency with increasing pressure, indicating that high-pressure processing effectively prevents the loss of the heat-sensitive components and enhances the nutritional content. The activity of myrosinase (MYR) increased after high-pressure processing, indicating that the increase in isothiocyanate content is related to the stimulation of myrosinase activity by high-pressure processing. In other key enzymes, the ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity was unaffected by high pressure, whereas peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity exhibited a 1.54-fold increase after high-pressure processing, indicating that high pressures can effectively destroy oxidases and maintain food quality. With regards to efficacy evaluation, NO production was inhibited and the expression levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were decreased in broccoli treated with high pressures, whereas the cell viability remained unaffected. The efficacy was more significant when the concentration of SFN was 60 mg·mL−1. In addition, at 10 mg·mL−1 SFN, the reduced/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio in inflammatory macrophages increased from 5.99 to 9.41. In conclusion, high-pressure processing can increase the isothiocyanate content in broccoli, and has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects in cell-based evaluation strategies, providing a potential treatment strategy for raw materials or additives used in healthy foods.
Highlights
Brassica oleracea var. italica is a vegetable widely consumed worldwide. It is derived from genetic mutations and the evolution of wild cabbage, and is a cultivar of Brassica oleracea, which belongs to the family Brassicaceae together with cabbage, gai lan, and cauliflower
Broccoli is rich in a variety of nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin C, dietary fibers, and isothiocyanates
The No 42 broccoli grown commercially in Taiwan was selected as the sample for processing under different high-pressure conditions to investigate the effects of high-pressure processing techniques on the changes in isothiocyanate content, myrosinase activity, and other functional components in broccoli, and to develop the optimal processing conditions, to analyze the mechanisms behind these changes, and to evaluate efficacy through cell-based experiments
Summary
Brassica oleracea var. italica (broccoli) is a vegetable widely consumed worldwide. It is derived from genetic mutations and the evolution of wild cabbage, and is a cultivar of Brassica oleracea, which belongs to the family Brassicaceae together with cabbage, gai lan, and cauliflower. Isothiocyanates are formed primarily through hydrolysis of glucosinolates by the enzyme myrosinase, and are the most representative functional component in cruciferous vegetables They can inhibit the proliferation, development, and metastasis of cancer cells, regulate the production of inflammation-related factors, and enhance the expression of antioxidant-related proteins [1,2,3,4]. When compared to traditional thermal processing strategies, this technique can do a much better job in preserving nutrients, flavor, appearance, and texture without any heat treatment [14,15,16] Since isothiocyanates and their production systems are damaged in high-temperature environments, many studies have investigated this problem by using high-pressure techniques to treat cruciferous crops, and have noticed that was the isothiocyanate content retained, but there was a tendency of improvement in the content [8,17,18,19]. The No 42 broccoli grown commercially in Taiwan was selected as the sample for processing under different high-pressure conditions to investigate the effects of high-pressure processing techniques on the changes in isothiocyanate content, myrosinase activity, and other functional components in broccoli, and to develop the optimal processing conditions, to analyze the mechanisms behind these changes, and to evaluate efficacy through cell-based experiments
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