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Effect of NaCl treatments on glucosinolate metabolism in broccoli sprouts

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Abstract

To understand the regulation mechanism of NaCl on glucosinolate metabolism in broccoli sprouts, the germination rate, fresh weight, contents of glucosinolates and sulforaphane, as well as myrosinase activity of broccoli sprouts germinated under 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 mmol/L of NaCl were investigated in our experiment. The results showed that glucoerucin, glucobrassicin, and 4-hydroxy glucobrassicin in 7-d-old broccoli sprouts were significantly enhanced and the activity of myrosinase was inhibited by 100 mmol/L of NaCl. However, the total glucosinolate content in 7-d-old broccoli sprouts was markedly decreased although the fresh weight was significantly increased after treatment with NaCl at relatively low concentrations (20, 40, and 60 mmol/L). NaCl treatment at the concentration of 60 mmol/L for 5 d maintained higher biomass and comparatively higher content of glucosinolates in sprouts of broccoli with decreased myrosinase activity. A relatively high level of NaCl treatment (100 mmol/L) significantly increased the content of sulforaphane in 7-d-old broccoli sprouts compared with the control. These results indicate that broccoli sprouts grown under a suitable concentration of NaCl could be desirable for human nutrition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Rong-fang Guo & Qiao-mei Wang

  2. School of Food and Pharmacy, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, 316000, China

    Gao-feng Yuan

  3. Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Qiao-mei Wang

Authors
  1. Rong-fang Guo
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  2. Gao-feng Yuan
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  3. Qiao-mei Wang
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Correspondence to Qiao-mei Wang.

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Project supported by the National High-Tech R&D Program (863) of China (No. 2008AA10Z111), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30900984), the Fok Ying Tong Education Foundation (No. 104034), and the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (No. NCET-05-0516), China

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Guo, Rf., Yuan, Gf. & Wang, Qm. Effect of NaCl treatments on glucosinolate metabolism in broccoli sprouts. J. Zhejiang Univ. Sci. B 14, 124–131 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1200096

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1200096

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