Armoracia rusticana (horseradish), a\ud
member of the Brassicaceae family, has been known\ud
since ancient times as a folk medicinal herb and as a\ud
plant of nutritional value and culinary interest. Currently horseradish is cultivated for its thick, fleshy and\ud
white roots which have a delicious intense pungency\ud
and for its tender leaves which are frequently used for\ud
salad mixed to other vegetables. The traditions to use\ud
horseradish plant for medicinal purpose are still\ud
applied in many countries. Horseradish is a rich source of a number of bioactive compounds such as\ud
glucosinolates (GLSs) and their breakdown products.\ud
Sinigrin is the dominant glucosinolate in both leaves\ud
and roots. Recent studies have shown that crude plant\ud
extracts have a complex profile of naturally occurring\ud
GLSs, with particular regard to sprouts. The increasing\ud
interest in these secondary metabolites, associated to\ud
the long and diffuse tradition of using horseradish in \ud
food preservation and as condiment in many parts of \ud
the world, is generating new applications of this plant \ud
in several agro-industrial and pharmaceutical sectors \ud
and is encouraging the use of its roots and leaves in \ud
functional food and medicine for human health. A \ud
bibliography review is discussed on ethnobotanical \ud
aspects and uses of this plant, as well as knowledge \ud
about its flavour compounds and GLS content and \ud
composition. This study summarizes also the updated \ud
information concerning the influence of the genotype \ud
and environment on GLS profile in horseradish
Within the family of Brassicaceae, an important source of glucosinolates (GLSs) is represented by horseradish ( Armoracia rusticana P. Gaertner, B. Meyer & Scherbius), cultivated for its roots, which are grated fresh or processed into a sauce and used as a condiment. The characteristic pungent flavor of the root depends on the abundance of the bioactive GLS molecules. In crude plant extracts (sprouts and roots) of an accession of horseradish largely diffused in the Basilicata region (southern Italy), which develops many sprouts and produces white, fiery, and sharp-flavored marketable roots, we characterized the GLS profile by LC-ESI-LTQ-FTICR-MS and IRMPD. In sprouts and roots we identified 16 and 11 GLSs, respectively. We confirmed the presence of sinigrin, 4-hydroxyglucobrassicin, glucobrassicin, gluconasturtin, and 4-methoxyglucobrassicin and identified glucoiberin, gluconapin, glucocochlearin, glucoconringianin, glucosativin, glucoibarin, 5-hydroxyglucobrassicin, glucocapparilinearisin or glucobrassicanapin, glucotropaeolin, and glucoarabishirsutain, not previously characterized in horseradish. Of particular note was the presence of the putative 2-methylsulfonyl-oxo-ethyl-GLS.
A collection of Armoracia rusticana Gaertn., Mey. et Scherb. (horseradish) has been established at the Institute of Plant GeneticsNational Research Council-Thematic Centre for the Preservation of Mediterranean Biodiversity located in Policoro (MT). Collecting missions have been conducted in internal areas of Basilicata region (South Italy). Ethnobotanical data were collected using a set of open-ended and multiple-choice questionnaires. These information provide an understanding of contemporary uses, agricultural practices and socio-cultural traditions associated with horseradish presence in the sites. Data regarding the variation of 26 morphological descriptors were recorded and statistically analized. The results showed a significative degree of variability between accessions and represent an instrument to understand perspectives of this plant for the agriculture of Basilicata region and it is the first step for the description and classification of this local horseradish germplasm.
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