Abstract
Brassica rapa is grown in northwestern Spain to obtain turnip greens. The tops of the same plants (flower stems with buds) are cut and sell as turnip tops, increasing the value of the crop. This practice could be extended to other brassicas. The objectives of this work are to study the phytochemical potential of tops of coles (Brassica oleracea) and leaf rape (Brassica napus) compared to turnip tops and to compare tops of different coles (cabbage, kale, tronchuda cabbage), which differ in their morphology and use. We evaluated the content of glucosinolates and phenolic compounds and the antioxidant capacity in leaves and tops of the three species. We found that tops had higher amount of glucosinolates than leaves. Phenolic content and antioxidant capacity followed the opposite trend. Therefore, consumption of leaves and tops are complementary, since both type of organs are enriched with different types of compound. Local varieties of kale, curly kale, cabbage and curly leave cabbage are interesting because of their GSLs and phenolic content and antioxidant capacity in both leaves and tops. From the human health perspective, tops of coles and leaf rape are interesting as new crops to include in the diet.
Highlights
The intake of Brassica vegetables has benefits on human health
Tops of B. rapa, B. oleracea and B. napus species had a higher amount of GSLs than leaves
In this work we have demonstrated that the tops of coles and leaf rape are suitable to be employed for human consumption due to their high GSLs and phenolic content and antioxidant capacity
Summary
The intake of Brassica vegetables has benefits on human health. They are good sources of a variety of nutrients and phytochemicals that may work synergistically to help to prevent certain types of chronic diseases, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and immune dysfunction [1]. Glucosinolates (GSLs) are a class of phytochemicals present in the Brassicaceae family. After their intake, they are hydrolyzed in various active products, mainly isothiocyanates (ITCs) which have protective effects in certain forms of cancer (i.e., prostate, intestinal, liver, lung, breast and bladder), chronic inflammation and neurodegeneration [1,2]. Health properties of Brassica crops are related to their antioxidant capacity. The antioxidant capacity of Brassica foods is mainly related to the presence of phenolic compounds [5]
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