Search Results (90)

Microgreens have recently gained popularity owing to their reliable economic and nutritional value. This study aimed to increase the quality of microgreen broccoli via treatment with different concentrations (1%, IPB-1; 3%, IPB-3; 5%, IPB-5; or 7%, IPB-7 w/v) of illite—a natural mineral powder. The results showed that the illite treatments considerably increased the content of mineral elements, such as Ca, P, and K; of vitamin C; and of free amino acids; and also increased the total weight of the broccoli sprouts. The content of sulforaphane, a bioactive compound, also increased by up to 47% with illite treatment, with the highest increase being in the IPB-5 group. However, several of the parameters were lower in the IPB-7 group. Aromatic compounds were categorized by functional groups such as hydrocarbons which numbered 36, 30, 34, 28, and 30 in the control, IPB-1, IPB-3, IPB-5, and IPB-7 groups, respectively. We found 16, 15, 15, 13, and 14 sulfides, including dimethyl sulfide, in the control, IPB-1, IPB-3, IPB-5, and IPB-7 groups, respectively. Additionally, aldehydes, comprising seven compounds, were detected in the IPB-1, IPB-3, IPB-5, and IPB-7 groups. Illite treatment significantly increased the activities of antioxidants such as DPPH and the polyphenol content of the microgreens. These results indicate a potential role for appropriate illite doses in microgreen treatment to address multinutrient deficiencies and to increase the quality of microgreen vegetables. Full article

The biofortification of edible crops with selenium (Se) is a common and effective strategy to address inadequate Se intake, which is suffered by millions of people worldwide. However, there is little information regarding the effects of this practice on crops belonging to the important Brassica family. To evaluate the efficacy of foliar Se application on broccoli, four treatments with varying Se concentrations were tested: 0%, 0.05%, 0.10%, and 0.15% (w/v), applied as sodium selenate during the early flowering stage. Although no overall effects on growth and biomass parameters were observed, the results indicate that the lowest Se dose (0.05-Se) was sufficient to notably increase Se concentration in the florets, even after boiling. Based on the increase to 14.2 mg Se kg⁻¹ of dry matter in this broccoli fraction, it was estimated that consuming a 100-gram portion of boiled florets biofortified with 0.05% Se would provide approximately 140 µg of Se, which could be sufficient to potentially improve human selenium status, as previously documented. Moreover, the results obtained underscore how the application of this small dose was also adequate to reduce phytate concentration in the florets and to increase antioxidant and polyphenol concentrations, thereby improving the concentration and bioavailability of other essential nutrients, including Ca, Mg, Fe, and Zn, along with improving its quality as an antioxidant food. Full article

Soil affects plant growth and development, and it is one of the factors that determine crop yields and quality. Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica Plenck) plants cv. Cezar were grown in an experiment conducted in 2021–2022 on a horticultural farm. The biometric parameters of broccoli plants were determined in the first stage. The chemical composition of the edible parts of broccoli was determined in the second stage, which involved two experimental factors. The first factor was the edible parts of broccoli: florets, leaves, and stalks. The second factor was the effect of soil type on the chemical composition of the edible parts of broccoli. Albic Luvisol (II) had a significant positive effect on floret height and the number of florets. Leaf yield was significantly lower when broccoli plants were grown in Eutric Cambisol (I) compared with Albic Luvisol (II) and degraded chernozem (III). Soil type had no significant influence on the macronutrient content of broccoli florets, leaves, and stalks, but the accumulation of macronutrients varied across the edible plant parts. The content of iron, zinc and manganese in broccoli plants was not significantly affected by soil type, but soil type exerted a significant effect on copper content. Full article

In this study, the effect of different cooking techniques on broccoli moisture, total phenolic, total flavonoid, and radical scavenging capacity results, polyphenol contents, and their quantitative values was investigated. The total phenolic quantities of fresh and cooked broccoli samples were assessed to be between 36.32 (conventional boiling) and 423.39 mg GAE/100 g (microwave heating). The radical scavenging activities of the broccoli samples were reported between 2.55 (conventional boiling) and 4.99 mmol/kg (microwave heating). In addition, catechin and rutin quantities of the fresh and cooked broccoli samples were measured to be between 2.24 (conventional boiling) and 54.48 mg/100 g (microwave heating), and between 0.55 (conventional boiling) and 16.33 mg/100 g (microwave heating), respectively. The most abundant elements in fresh and cooked broccoli samples were K, Ca, P, S, and Mg. The results showed some changes depending on cooking techniques compared to the control. The bioactive properties of broccoli samples cooked by means of conventional boiling, boiling in vacuum bag, and high-pressure boiling were established to be lower compared to the fresh sample. Catechin, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, rutin, and gallic acid were the key phenolic compounds of fresh and cooked broccoli samples. The phenolic components of broccoli were significantly affected by the applied cooking techniques. The highest protein in broccoli samples was determined in the broccoli sample cooked by boiling in a vacuum bag. There were statistically significant changes among the mineral results of broccoli cooked with different cooking methods. Full article

Black spot disease, caused by Alternaria alternata, results in enormous losses in broccoli production. The current measures to prevent black spot disease mainly rely on seed disinfection and chemical control, but excellent disease-resistance resources are relatively scarce. In this study, we screened primers for black spot disease identification and conducted black spot disease resistance identification of 173 lines, including 70 hybrid lines and 103 inbred lines. Based on the phenotype, we have set five grades to present different symptoms of illness: high disease resistance, disease resistance, disease tolerance, susceptibility, and high susceptibility (the disease resistance gradually weakens). According to our phenotypic evaluations, 3, 55, 65, 45, and 5 lines were classified into high disease resistance, disease resistance, disease tolerance, susceptible, and high susceptibility, respectively. By comparing the proportion of resistant lines between hybrid and inbred lines, we noticed that the frequency of hybrid varieties with high disease resistance and disease resistance (28.57%) was lower than that in inbred lines (36.89%), indicating that the resistance resources have not yet been effectively utilized in hybrid broccoli breeding. Therefore, our results identified the resistance resources to black spot disease in broccoli, which lays the foundation for the exploration of disease resistance genes as well as the analysis of disease resistance mechanisms in the future. Full article

Aquaporins (AQPs), membrane proteins responsible for facilitating water transport, found in plant membrane vesicles (MV), have been related to the functionality and stability of MV. We focused on AQPs obtained from broccoli, as they show potential for biotechnological applications. To gain further insight into the role of AQPs in MV, we describe the heterologous overexpression of two broccoli AQPs (BoPIP1;2 and BoPIP2;2) in Pichia pastoris, resulting in their purification with high yield (0.14 and 0.99 mg per gram cells for BoPIP1;2 and BoPIP2;2). We reconstituted AQPs in liposomes to study their functionality, and the size of proteoliposomes did not change concerning liposomes. BoPIP2;2 facilitated water transport, which was preserved for seven days at 4 °C and at room temperature but not at 37 °C. BoPIP2;2 was incorporated into liposomes to encapsulate a resveratrol extract, resulting in increased entrapment efficiency (EE) compared to conventional liposomes. Molecular docking was utilized to identify binding sites in PIP2s for resveratrol, highlighting the role of aquaporins in the improved EE. Moreover, interactions between plant AQP and human integrin were shown, which may increase internalization by the human target cells. Our results suggest AQP-based alternative encapsulation systems can be used in specifically targeted biotechnological applications. Full article

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenck) is a widely consumed vegetable, very popular due to its various nutritional and bioactive components. Since studies on the lipid components of broccoli have been limited so far, the aim of the present work was the study of free fatty acids (FFAs) present in different broccoli parts, aerial and underground. The direct determination of twenty-four FFAs in broccoli tissues (roots, leaves, and florets) was carried out, using a liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) method in a 10 min single run. Linolenic acid was found to be the most abundant FFA in all different broccoli parts in quantities ranging from 0.76 to 1.46 mg/g, followed by palmitic acid (0.17–0.22 mg/g) and linoleic acid (0.06–0.08 mg/g). To extend our knowledge on broccoli’s bioactive components, for the first time, the existence of bioactive oxidized fatty acids, namely hydroxy and oxo fatty acids, was explored in broccoli tissues adopting an HRMS-based lipidomics approach. 16- and 2-hydroxypalmitic acids were detected in all parts of broccoli studied, while ricinoleic acid was detected for the first time as a component of broccoli. Full article

Nowadays, there is a global surge in interest surrounding novel foods, particularly sprouts, microgreens, and baby leaves, attributed to their rich content of bioactive compounds, such as phenolic derivatives, glucosinolates, and vitamins. This study delves into the impact of exogenously applied melatonin on novel foods derived from Brassica oleracea L. Two distinct cultivars of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica Plenck), namely Sicilian sprouting broccoli (Broccolo nero) and a commercial variety (Cavolo Broccolo Ramoso Calabrese), were compared across the sprouts, microgreens, and baby leaves stages, adhering to organic farming practices. Various doses of melatonin (0, 50, and 100 µM) were administered at each harvesting stage. Plantlets were collected at different growth stages and assessed for key morphometric traits, including the weight, hypocotyl length, and cotyledon dimensions during the sprouts stage. For microgreens, the number and dimensions of the true leaves were recorded, while for baby leaves, the stem length was additionally measured. The analysis of glucosinolates was carried out using a high-performance liquid chromatograph with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). The results revealed significant variations among the experimental factors considered. Melatonin application significantly influenced the morphometric parameters at different growth stages, exhibiting notable variations in the weight, hypocotyl length, cotyledon width, and leaf width. The GLSs profile exhibited significant variations between the different growth stages and genotypes studied. Particularly noteworthy was the tendency for the GLSs content to be higher during the sprouts stage compared to the baby leaves stage, ranging from 24.07 to 4.61 µmol g⁻¹ d.w. from sprouts to baby leaves, respectively. Full article

High rates of fertilizer applications potentially have significant environmental consequences, such as soil and water contamination and biodiversity loss. This study aimed to compare the use of biofertilizers and inorganic fertilizers in a broccoli crop to determine their impact on soil microorganism abundance, microbial community structure, functional gene diversity, yield, and greenhouse gas emissions. Four different fertilization treatments were designed: (i) inorganic fertilizers applied at a rate to cover the nutritional demands of the crop (F100); (ii) 50% of the rate of inorganic fertilizers added in F100 (F50); (iii) F50 + the application of a formulation of various bacteria (BA); and (iv) F50 + the application of a formulation of bacteria and non-mycorrhizal fungi (BA + FU). The results showed that reduced fertilization and the addition of both biofertilizer products had no significant effect on soil nutrients, microbial population, microbial activity, or yield when compared to conventional inorganic fertilization. Thus, microbial inoculants were ineffective in enhancing soil microbial abundance and activity, and there were no changes in GHG emissions or crop yields. Nonetheless, crop yield was positively related to total soil N, microbial activity, and CO₂ emissions, confirming the positive effect of soil biodiversity on production. The application of biofertilizers can help reduce mineral fertilization in a broccoli crop with no negative effect on yield. Full article

To investigate the mechanism of melatonin (MT)-mediated glutathione (GSH) in promoting glucoraphanin (GRA) and sulforaphane (SF) synthesis, the gene expression pattern and protein content of hairy broccoli roots under MT treatment were analyzed by a combination of RNA-seq and tandem mass spectrometry tagging (TMT) techniques in this study. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed that both proteins and mRNAs with the same expression trend were enriched in the “Glutathione metabolism (ko00480)” and “Proteasome (ko03050)” pathways, and most of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) regulating the two pathways were downregulated. The results showed that endogenous GSH concentration and GR activity were increased in hairy roots after MT treatment. Exogenous GSH could promote the biosynthesis of GRA and SF, and both exogenous MT and GSH could upregulate the expression of the GSTF11 gene related to the sulfur transport gene, thus promoting the biosynthesis of GRA. Taken together, this study provides a new perspective to explore the complex molecular mechanisms of improving GRA and SF synthesis levels by MT and GSH regulation. Full article

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) has a large, edible green flower head, which is one of its critical economic traits. A prerequisite of broccoli flower head formation is flower bud differentiation (FBD). Low-temperature treatment is an effective way to induce FBD in broccoli. However, the molecular mechanism underlying low-temperature-induced broccoli FBD remains largely unclear. In this study, using broccoli cultivar Zhongqing 10 as the experimental material, we investigated the effects of low-temperature treatment on FBD by comparing the plants grown at low temperatures (17 °C/9 °C, 16 h/8 h) with the control plants grown under normal temperature conditions (25 °C/17 °C, 16 h/8 h). After 15 days of different temperature treatments, the flower buds of the plants growing under the low-temperature condition started to differentiate. However, the control plants remained in the vegetative growth stage, indicating that low temperature successfully induced flower bud formation. Subsequently, a global transcriptomic analysis was conducted to detect the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) during low-temperature-induced FBD in broccoli. A total of 14 DEGs in five phytohormone signaling pathways, 42 DEGs in nine transcription factor families, and 16 DEGs associated with the floral development pathways were identified. More DEGs were present in the auxin signaling pathway than in other phytohormone signaling pathways, which indicated that the auxin signaling pathway played a critical role in modulating low-temperature-induced FBD in broccoli. Furthermore, four TF classes, including bZIP, GCM domain factors, MADS-box factors, and C2H2 zinc finger factors, possessed enriched motifs, indicating that their closely related DETFs ABI5, HY5L, WRKY11, WRKY15, WRKY22, SOC1, AGL8, FLC, SPL8, and SPL15 may be directly involved in the transcription regulation of broccoli FBD. This study provides an important basis for further investigation of the molecular regulatory mechanism of broccoli flower development under low temperatures. Full article

Salinity hinders plant growth, posing a substantial challenge to sustainable agricultural yield maintenance. The application of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) offers an emerging strategy to mitigate the detrimental effects of high salinity levels. This study aimed to isolate and identify gibberellin-producing bacteria and their impact on the seed germination of Malva verticillata (mallow) and Brassica oleracea var. italica (broccoli) under salt stress. In this study, seven bacterial isolates (KW01, KW02, KW03, KW04, KW05, KW06, and KW07) were used to assess their capacity for producing various growth-promoting traits and their tolerance to varying amounts of salinity (100 mM and 150 Mm NaCl). The findings revealed that KW05 and KW07 isolates outperformed other isolates in synthesizing indole-3-acetic acid, siderophores, and exopolysaccharides and in solubilizing phosphates. These isolates also enhanced phosphatase activity and antioxidant levels, including superoxide dismutase and catalase. Both KW05 and KW07 isolate highlight the growth-promoting effects of gibberellin by enhancing of growth parameters of Waito-C rice. Further, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry validation confirmed the ability of KW05 and KW07 to produce gibberellins (GAs), including GA₁, GA₃, GA₄, and GA₇. Seed germination metrics were enhanced due to the inoculation of KW05 and KW07. Moreover, inoculation with KW05 increased the fresh weight (FW) (7.82%) and total length (38.61%) of mallow under salt stress. Inoculation with KW07 increased the FW (32.04%) and shoot length of mallow under salt stress. A single inoculation of these two isolates increased broccoli plants’ FW and shoot length under salt stress. Gibberellin-producing bacteria helps in plant growth promotion by improving salt tolerance by stimulating root elongation and facilitating enhanced absorption of water and nutrient uptake in salty environments. Based on these findings, they can play a role in boosting agricultural yield in salt-affected areas, which would help to ensure the long-term viability of agriculture in coastal regions. Full article

Bioactive compounds (BACs) and chemical building blocks (CBBs) play a pivotal role in driving economic growth. These compounds, known for their diverse applications in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and manufacturing, have become integral to meeting the increasing demand for sustainable and innovative products. In this research, we used and characterized dynamic maceration to extract BACs and CBBs from broccoli leaves (BLs). A central composite design (CCD) was selected to evaluate the effect of temperature (from 4 °C to 70 °C), ethanol concentration (from 30% to 70% (v/v)), and exposition time (15 to 60 min) on total phenolic content (TPC) (mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAEs) per 100 g of dry biomass (db)). A confirmation experiment (CE) was performed to reproduce the optimal conditions (50 °C, 36.92 min, and 30% (v/v)) for BAC extraction. Results indicated a GAE concentration of 112.95 ± 0.92 mg/100 g db, while the statistical model predicted a value of 111.87 mg of GAEs/100 g db (error of 0.95%) with a rate constant (k) value of 0.0154 mg/g·min (R² of 0.9894). BACs and CBBs were identified with gas chromatography–electron impact mass spectrometry detecting l-isoleucine, l-leucine, malonic acid, and succinic acid, among others. Finally, a life cycle inventory (LCI) was developed to determine global warming (GW) and water consumption (WC), among others, for 10 g of BL extract. Findings reported herein prove the sustainability of eco-friendly extraction of BACs and CBBs for the effective use of agricultural by-products. Full article

Brassica oleracea var. italica (broccoli), a member of the cabbage family, is abundant with many nutrients, including vitamins, potassium, fiber, minerals, and phytochemicals. Consequently, it has been used as a functional food additive to reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. In the current study, the effects of sulforaphane-rich broccoli sprout extract (BSE) on the inflammatory response were investigated in vitro and in vivo. Comparative high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of sulforaphane content from different extracts revealed that 70% ethanolic BSE contained more sulforaphane than the other extracts. qPCR and enzyme immunoassay analyses revealed that BSE markedly reduced the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and mediators, including cyclooxygenase 2, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-1, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Pretreatment with BSE improved the survival rate and suppressed alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase expression in LPS-induced endotoxemic mice, while proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, cyclooxygenase-2, and iNOS decreased dramatically in the LPS-induced liver injury model via BSE treatment. Additionally, F4/80 immunostaining showed that BSE suppressed hepatic macrophage infiltration in the liver after lipopolysaccharide injection. In conclusion, BSE may be a potential nutraceutical for preventing and regulating excessive immune responses in inflammatory disease. Full article

Broccoli is a highly perishable vegetable with unique nutritional characteristics. Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) has proven to be a successful technology to extend broccoli shelf-life. The main disadvantage of MAP is the extensive use of petrochemical-based films resulting in huge quantities of domestic plastic waste. In this study, suitability of a biodegradable cellulose-based film for broccoli florets packaging was evaluated, as an alternative to polypropylene film. Florets packaged in cellulose-based film showed a high mass loss and extremely low in-package O₂ concentrations, which made this material unsuitable for broccoli packaging application. Improved gas and water vapor barrier properties should be considered for biodegradable packages, in order to make their application for vegetable packaging feasible. Full article