Optimising glucosinolate profiles in Brassica oleracea

Barnes, L., Blanusa, T., Rai, D., Walsh, L. and Bell, L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2895-2030 (2025) Optimising glucosinolate profiles in Brassica oleracea. In: Bell, L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2895-2030 (ed.) Molecular Horticulture & Advances in Production System Technology. Advances in Botanical Research, 117. Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/bs.abr.2025.10.006 (In Press)

Abstract/Summary

Brassica oleracea vegetables are the primary dietary source of glucosinolates (GSLs) in the West. These sulfur-containing secondary metabolites and are associated with a reduced risk of developing noncommunicable diseases, most notably cancer. This is mainly attributed to GSL hydrolysis products released upon tissue damage including isothiocyanates (ITC), and nitriles. Consequently, there has been both academic and commercial interest in breeding new B. oleracea cultivars with increased GSL content. However, alkenyl GSLs including allyl (sinigrin; SIN) and (2R)-2-hydroxybut-3-enyl GSL (progoitrin; PRO) have been associated with bitter-taste and reduced consumer acceptance. This presents a substantial challenge for crop breeders aiming to improve the nutritional quality of B. oleracea while maintaining favourable taste characteristics. This review synthesises the current body of research on GSL sensory and health-related properties, and metabolic regulation in planta, highlighting environmental factors affecting GSL accumulation as well as specific genes (MYB28, MAM1 and AOP2) involved in aliphatic GSL regulation. We explore potential strategies for reducing bitter-GSLs while maximising (RS)-4-(methylsulfinyl)butyl GSL (glucoraphanin; GRA) biosynthesis to exploit the health-related advantages of GSLs with minimal impact on sensory quality.

Item Type	Book or Report Section
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/127458
Identification Number/DOI	10.1016/bs.abr.2025.10.006
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development > Department of Crop Science
Publisher	Elsevier
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