Brassica vegetables: nature’s hidden nutritional treasure

Brassica vegetables, including broccoli, kale, cabbage, and mustard greens, are rich in health-promoting compounds but remain underutilized in global diets. These crops contain a wide range of phytonutrients—such as glucosinolates, vitamins, carotenoids, phenolics, and essential minerals—that can reduce risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic conditions. Researchers have now comprehensively analyzed their nutritional profiles and highlighted strategies to boost their value through breeding, biofortification, and advanced biotechnologies. The review underscores that Brassicas not only offer dietary benefits but also represent an untapped opportunity for developing functional foods that could improve public health and address widespread micronutrient deficiencies.

Poor diets lacking in vegetables and fruits are a leading cause of micronutrient deficiencies and chronic diseases worldwide. While citrus fruits are well-known for vitamin C and leafy greens for folate, Brassica crops provide a broader spectrum of nutrients, including cancer-fighting glucosinolates, antioxidants like carotenoids, and vital minerals such as calcium and selenium. Despite their global cultivation and economic importance, these vegetables are often undervalued in nutrition-focused policies and consumer choices. Growing evidence suggests that Brassicas can serve as affordable, natural interventions against nutrient gaps and non-communicable diseases. Based on these challenges, there is a need for in-depth research into the nutritional potential of Brassica crops.

A new review from the College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, and collaborating institutions, published (DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhae302) on October 30, 2024 in Horticulture Research, provides the most comprehensive overview to date of the nutritional and health-promoting compounds in Brassica vegetables. The study highlights their roles in preventing chronic diseases and explores methods—including agronomic practices, conventional breeding, and metabolic engineering—to enhance their nutritional value. By framing Brassicas as “functional foods,” the authors call for renewed attention to these crops as essential tools in improving dietary health worldwide.

The review details the diverse phytonutrients in Brassicas and their impacts on health. Glucosinolates, abundant in broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage, yield biologically active compounds such as sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol that show strong anti-cancer properties. Vitamins—including vitamin C, folate, vitamin E, and vitamin K—contribute to antioxidant defense, iron absorption, and bone health. Carotenoids like lutein and β-carotene support eye function and immune resilience, while anthocyanins in purple varieties provide neuroprotective and cardioprotective benefits. Minerals such as calcium, potassium, and selenium enhance bone strength and reduce risks of hypertension and certain cancers.

The study also examines how cooking methods and food processing influence nutrient retention, showing that steaming or pairing Brassicas with oils can maximize bioavailability. Importantly, researchers outline strategies to enrich nutritional profiles: LED-based cultivation can increase carotenoids and anthocyanins in sprouts; selective breeding has already produced “super broccoli” rich in glucoraphanin; and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing offers tools to amplify beneficial metabolites while reducing anti-nutritional compounds. Collectively, these findings position Brassicas as an overlooked yet powerful solution to modern nutritional and health challenges.

“Brassica vegetables represent one of the most promising but underutilized dietary resources for improving public health,” said the authors of the study. “Their rich combination of vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds provides natural protection against chronic diseases ranging from cancer to cardiovascular disorders. What makes these crops unique is the opportunity to further enhance their value through breeding, biofortification, and metabolic engineering. Harnessing this potential can transform everyday vegetables like broccoli and kale into key players in global strategies for nutritional security.”

The findings emphasize the potential of Brassica vegetables to serve as accessible, low-cost interventions in combating global nutrition deficiencies and disease burdens. With growing consumer demand for functional foods, Brassicas offer an attractive alternative to synthetic supplements. Biofortified varieties and innovative agronomic practices could bring health-boosting crops to both developed and developing regions. Additionally, these vegetables’ genetic diversity makes them ideal candidates for future precision breeding and biotechnology programs. Beyond personal health, incorporating more Brassicas into diets could reduce healthcare costs and contribute to achieving global goals in food security, sustainable agriculture, and public health improvement.

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References

DOI

10.1093/hr/uhae302

Original Source URL

https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhae302

Funding information

This work was partially funded by the Innovative Research Group Project of Hebei Natural Science Foundation (grant number C2024204246), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers 32372736 and 32330096), the Science and Technology Project of the Hebei Education Department (grant numbers YJZ2024001 and JZX2024001), and the Hebei Natural Science Foundation (grant number C2023204308), the Key Research and Development Program of Hebei (grant number 21326311D-2).

About Horticulture Research

Horticulture Research is an open access journal of Nanjing Agricultural University and ranked number one in the Horticulture category of the Journal Citation Reports ™ from Clarivate, 2023. The journal is committed to publishing original research articles, reviews, perspectives, comments, correspondence articles and letters to the editor related to all major horticultural plants and disciplines, including biotechnology, breeding, cellular and molecular biology, evolution, genetics, inter-species interactions, physiology, and the origination and domestication of crops.