Progress 10/01/07 to 09/30/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: We analyzed brassica-based samples of developing products free of charge for large and small companies such as Johnny's sprouts soap products. We test products during development for supplement companies, other University researchers and USDA researchers. Outcomes have been shared with researchers and at scientific meetings and through interviews with magazines such as SELF magazine and Men's Health. PARTICIPANTS: Edward Dosz is a graduate student, studying ways to enhance the bioactivity of broccoli, so that individuals may receive the benefits of broccoli without having to eat large quantities. Elizabeth Jeffery is Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois. She has worked with Mark Berhow, ARS, as well as Brent Reynolds, U. Florida, Johnny's Seeds, and several others unnamed. This project allowed training of several students in other labs at the University of Illinois, as well as one from University of Urbino, Italy, one from Agrucultural University, Faisalabad, Pakistan and one professor from Agrucultural University, Faisalabad, Pakistan. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences include research scientists, industry scientists (nutritionists, food scientists, companion animal feed specialists), and the general public, the latter through health magazines and news articles. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Much of the public who eat broccoli are now aware of how to prepare it for greatest health benefit. Some of the public who do not presently eat broccoli know why they should do so.
Publications
- Finley, J.W., Kong, A.-N., Hintze, K.J., Jeffery, E.H., Ji, L.L. and Lei, X.G. 2011 Antioxidants in foods: State of the science important to the food industry. J. Ag. Fd. Chem. 13: 6837-6846.
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Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: We have shown that exogenous myrosinase in one food can hydrolyze glucoraphanin in another food in the same meal. Now we are evaluating the impact of blanching and freezing on broccoli myrosinase to determine if an alternative source of myrosinase is required to release sulforaphane from a meal of frozen/cooked broccoli. PARTICIPANTS: Two graduate students in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (Lai and Dosz) received training in laboratory work and in the scientific method, as well as in speaking with target audiences to aid in product development and use that promote optimization of health benefits of the product. Drs. Miller and Jeffery are also participants, both faculty members in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences are scientific audiences at science meetings, the general public, cooks, dietary supplement manufacturers and health magazine publishers. The work is designed to help optimize the health benefits gained from ingesting broccoli. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
We find that freezing at minus 80 degrees celsius prevents loss of glucoraphanin and sulforaphane seen in broccoli frozen at minus 20 degrees celsius.
Publications
- Lai, R-H., Miller, M, and Jeffery, E.H. 2010. Glucoraphanin hydrolysis by microflora in the rat cecum results in sulforaphane absorption. Food and Function 1: 161-166.
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Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: We have evaluated systemic effects of several different broccoli preparations, including whole freeze-dried broccoli, seeds and semi-purified glucoraphanin in rats. All but the semi-purified glucoraphanin produced an increase in quinone reductase in the liver. Having found a small but significant increase in colon, but not liver the rat from semi-purified glucoraphanin, we have looked more closely at the possibility of microbial metabolism in the gut to form sulforaphane in the absence of the plant enzyme myrosinase. Exposing the cecal contents of a rat to glucoraphanin in situ, we were able to collect sulforaphane from the mesenteric vessel. However, mesenteric levels were ~10% of those following introduction of pure sulforaphane, suggesting that microbial hydrolysis of glucoraphanin is limiting but does occur. PARTICIPANTS: Nig Zhu and Ren-Hau Lai, graduate students. Mette Soendergaard, visiting scholar. TARGET AUDIENCES: Identifying the lack of systemic activity from over-cooked broccoli or a broccoli supplement as compared to the activity of unheated whole broccoli may help consumers to know that the best way to obtain the health benefits of broccoli is by eating fresh broccoli or broccoli steamed for two to four minutes. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
These data confirm our hypothesis that in the absence of myrosinase, over-cooked broccoli or supplements of semi-purified glucoraphanin are able to generate only very low systemic levels of sulforaphane.
Publications
- Zhu, N., Soendergaard, M., Jeffery, E.H. and Lai, R. 2010. The impact of myrosinase on the bioactivity of broccoli products in F344 rats. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, 58:1558-1563.
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Progress 01/01/09 to 12/31/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: We have identified that broccolis treated different ways during growing can have very different health impacts. Broccoli grown as control had less indole glucosinolates than broccoli treated with jasmonate, a plant hormone, or with selenate during growth. The two treatments both greatly increased indole glucosinolate levels, particularly neoglucobrassicin. The treated broccolis also both caused a considerable increase in hepatic ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity when fed to rats for 7 days. In order to identify active components, we decided to evaluate bioactivity of aqueous extract in cell culture. This required that we developed a 96-well assay for ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase that could handle multiple samples rapidly. We have completed this and evaluated the activity of the extracts. We compared this bioactivity to activity of equimolar amounts of known (sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol) and suspected (SeO3 and Se-methylselenocysteine)bioactives within the samples. None of these provided the activity of the full aqueous extract. We are presently fractionating samples to test bioactivity of individual fractions and plan to characterize components within active fractions using LC-MS/MS. PARTICIPANTS: Sonja Volker, a graduate student. TARGET AUDIENCES: Identifying specific bioactive components in broccoli in addition to those already reported may help to understand and harness the substantial benefit that broccoli has. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
These results start to explain why the whole vegetable (broccoli) may be more effective at producing health benefits than any isolated compound.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/08 to 12/31/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: We have performed glucosinolate hydrolysis analysis on a large number of broccolis. A subset of 16 samples will be analyzed for nitrile formation, antioxidant activity, and will be fed to mice and analyzed for bioactivity. PARTICIPANTS: Jeffery, PI, his directed students Ning Zhu and Mette Sondergaard in these studies. All three have also worked on a manuscript from the work carried out last year on feeding rats glucoraphanin by gavage or mixed into the diet. TARGET AUDIENCES: A large number of Americans pay premium for organic foods. This work will aid in determining if there is greater bioactivity associated with organic foods. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Among the samples analyzed, we have identified 16 broccolis grown either organically or conventionally, in Spring or Fall, in three locations across the U.S. that have similar glucosinolate hydrolysis profiles. The importance of this work is to determine if the glucosinolate profile is the major influence on bioactivity, even under strikingly different environmental conditions.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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