Healthier Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale? Scientists Are on the Case

Researchers at University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have identified a way to increase the level of health-boosting compounds in broccoli, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and related vegetables. The discovery, recently published in Science Advances, could open the door to enhancing the nutrition of Americans’ staple vegetables.

The research is still in its early stages. In the study, researchers identified a specific gene in Arabidopsis, a model plant related to broccoli, that is responsible for increasing glucosinolates in crops like broccoli. Glucosinolates are natural compounds that have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties.
Through genetic studies, researchers found that changing just one letter in the DNA of Arabidopsis can increase the amount of glucosinolates by about 20 times, according to UF/IFAS Associate Professor Jeongim Kim.

Arabidopsis is part of the Brassicaceae family, which also includes broccoli, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, cauliflower, and other cruciferous vegetables.

---

RELATED CONTENT: The Top Cole Crops To Grow Right Now

---

The next steps for this research would be to use CRISPR to test if the same approach works in broccoli and cabbage, she said. She would also like to explore the potential of increasing the compounds in microgreens, which can be grown in greenhouses year-round.

“It’s our hope that we can give people more options to get even more nutrition from the foods they already eat as part of a healthy diet,” Kim says.

For more, continue reading at news.ifas.ufl.edu.