Seasonal Variation in Contents of Sugars in Different Parts of Broccoli

Abstract

Seasonal variation in the contents of sugars (fructose, glucose, and sucrose) in the floret, leaf, and stem of broccoli were studied in ten commercial broccoli cultivars. Plants were grown in the spring and fall seasons in 2011. In both seasons, glucose was the major constituent, comprising about 50% of the total sugar content in the floret and leaf tissue of most cultivars, whereas the broccoli stem showed an unusual pattern of accumulation. Sucrose exhibited greater cultivar dependency as well as seasonal variation compared to fructose and glucose in floret and leaf tissues. The floret tissue had a higher total content of sugar in the spring compared to the fall due to an increase in glucose and fructose. However, most of the leaf and stem tissues of broccoli had a higher total sugar content in the fall compared to the spring. Furthermore, stem and leaf tissues possessed a relatively higher total sugar content compared to floret tissue in both seasons. 'Grandeur' broccoli contained a significantly greater amount of total sugar in both floret and leaf tissues in both seasons, whereas 'YuDoRi No.1' broccoli exhibited the highest total content of sugar in stem tissue. At overall, the results showed significant influences of genotype, plant part and growing season on sugar content in broccoli.

Seasonal variation in agronomic characteristics and sugar content of cabbage genotypes

“…The concentrations of the three sugars, glucose, fructose, and sucrose, in cabbage head germplasm during spring and autumn 2019 are shown in Figure 3. Fructose and glucose were the predominant sugars in cabbage germplasm, which concurred with findings from previous studies on cabbage (Rosa et al, 2001;Zhao et al, 2020) and other brassicaceous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower (Bhandari and Kwak, 2015a;2015b). In most cases, the germplasm content of glucose was the highest, followed by fructose and sucrose in both growing seasons.…”

“…Approximately 33% of the genotypes showed higher glucose content in spring than in autumn, whereas the other genotypes showed either higher or similar glucose content in autumn. Bhandari and Kwak (2015a) found higher glucose content in spring than in autumn in 12 broccoli cultivars. Similarly, Rosa et al (2001) observed higher glucose content in cabbage grown in spring than in autumn.…”

“…Sugar content was analyzed according to the method described by Bhandari and Kwak (2015a) with some modifications. Sugar was extracted from powdered cabbage samples (0.2 g) with distilled water (5.0 mL) in a water bath at 80 °C under shaking at 150 rpm for 20 min.…”

“…Furthermore, higher sugar concentrations can mask the bitter taste of S compounds such as glucosinolates, which increase palatability (Schonhof et al, 2004). The accumulation and relative concentration of sugars depends on several factors such as genotype, tissue type, plant developmental stages, and growing season (Rosa et al, 2001;Aires et al, 2011;VandenLangenberg et al, 2012;Bhandari and Kwak, 2015a;Zhao et al, 2020).…”

Side Streams of Broccoli Leaves: A Climate Smart and Healthy Food Ingredient

“…The florets in broccoli (Brassica oleracea Italica group) have been shown to contain health beneficial compounds, such as vitamin K and C, minerals, dietary fiber, phenolic compounds, glucosinolates and folic acid [35][36][37]. The broccoli leaves, on the other hand, are not as well studied as the florets, but have been shown to have higher levels of phenolic compounds as compared to the florets [38,39]. The stem in broccoli contains large amount of insoluble fiber and low amounts of soluble fiber [40].…”