Revista de Alimentos, Nutrição e Saúde da População Acesso livre

Abstrato

Freezing Reduces Healthy Benefits of Broccoli Grown in Egypt

Shams R, Abu-Khudir R and Ali EM

Plants in its fresh case can synthesize a wide variety of chemical compounds that are used to perform important biological functions. Brassica oleracea has established as an important human food, as it is rich in polyphenols that exhibits antioxidant activity and isothicyanates that exhibits anti-inflammatory activity. Polyphenols protect the cells against oxidative damage as they exhibit free radical scavenging and metal chelating activities. Myrosinase-catalysed hydrolysis of glucosinolates yields sulforaphane, one of the bioactive isothiocyanates compounds. Anti-inflammatory activity was investigated according the inhibitory action of sulforaphane on inflammatory precursor cyclooxygenase. Food preservation is functional for storing seasonal food until next abundance of these types. Freezing of food prevents microbial growth by lowering temperature and water shortage, but there is many disadvantages of food preservation by freezing e.g. loss of nutrients by time and inactivate enzymes activities. In this study, freezing showed to lowering bio-active compounds of broccoli. Polyphenolic (Tannic acid-equivalent) decreased in frozen broccoli by 35.25%. Whereas, sulforaphane content decreased by 32.8% that may be considered back to myrosinase inhibition. As followed for these findings, broccoli benefits decreased by freezing preservation.