Broccoli flavor

Broccoli Flavor Intensity 1 Flavor Quality Overall Preference ... 

Scale 1 = staling, broccoli flavor, 7 = green vegetable flavor. 

The family Cruciferae contains several economically important vegetables, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower. There has always been some ambivalence about the use of these vegetables. While some of them have desirable, pungent flavors, cooking odors tend to deter their consumption. It is stated that cauliflowers are rarely purchased in France and there is a relatively low consumption of sauerkraut in the USA.55... 

Some brassicas have a typical strong, mustardy flavor, but others, such as kohlrabi and broccoli, are more delicate. Many can be eaten raw, as well as cooked or pickled. 

So when Ross and Jenny came home from school, looking for a snack, I devised some tempting treats. Instead of a whole apple, I sliced that apple and used raisins to make faces. Pretty simple. Other times I sliced a variety of fruits and offered them on a plate with some fruit-flavored yogurt as a dip. When I had the time and wanted to be creative, I cut bell peppers to use as palm fronds on trunks of longitudinally sliced carrots, perhaps with a bush of broccoli, and a pond of low-fat salad dressing on a platter. Mothers in the neighborhood began to wonder why their kids wanted to come to our house after school Yup, I was Mr. Mom, and I loved it. 

Here s another way to add wonderful flavor to a vegetable that s a fabulous source of potassium. I think even the first President Bush, who famously hated broccoli, would like this recipe. 

The brassicas of importance as foods include turnips, rutabagas, mustards, and the cole crops — cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts. The production of isothiocyanates in brassicas is via an enzymatic reaction on specific glycosides. Some of the isothiocyanates, especially allylthiocyanate, are highly pungent and are mainly responsible for the odors of brown mustard, horseradish, cabbage, and other crucifers. Any process that destroys or inactivates enzymes in these plants will cause decreases in aroma production, resulting in a less distinctive flavor. This is usually the case when brassica foodstuffs are commercially preserved. 

Artichoke s signature dish is, of course, their whole stuffed artichoke. The artichoke is steamed then stuffed with breadcrumbs, spinach, roasted red peppers and peas. A wonderful honey Dijon mustard dipping sauce is served on the side. On the entree list is the tempeh or tofu delight, a macrobiotic dish of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, shiitake mushrooms and dulce served over rice. Also inviting is the garlic-broccoli ziti, a simple pasta dish flavored with garlic and olive oil. 

An inappropriate atmosphere can result in off odors and flavors. Too low O2 or excessive CO2 can cause fermentative metabolism leading to accumulation of ethanol and acetaldehyde. Such off odors can be particularly offensive in broccoli (1081. 

Strawberries range from almost white to deep red centers from a pale red exterior to almost black due to the high concentration of anthocyanins the texture of ripe strawberries can range from mushy to crisp. The texture and flavor of apple varieties differ due to genotype and the varied responses to postharvest storage environments. Cauliflower and broccoli differ in concentrations of glucosinolates, which are responsible for off and pungent flavors. 

Indoles Indole-3-carbinol, indole-3-acetonitrile, l-tryptophan Cruciferous vegetables (including brussel sprouts, kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, watercress, turnip, radish) Pungent flavor... 

Cruciferous vegetables have recently been identified as possessing anticarcinogenic properties (6). For example, indole-3-carbinol derived from indolylmethyl glucosinolate which is widely present in cruciferous vegetables has been shown to induce estradiol 2-hydroxylation in mice, and thereby reduce the risk of estradiol-linked mammary cancer (7,8). Moreover, 4-methylsulfinyl isothiocyanate (Sulforaphane) isolated from broccoli has been shown to induce several anticarcinogenic protective enzymes (9). However, development of excessive methanethiol-related off-flavors in cruciferous foods (e.g., sauerkraut) detracts from consumer acceptance of these cancer-preventive foods. 

Methanethiol. Methanethiol was a major volatile sulfur compound formed in broccoli florets stored in sealed jars for 7 days at 15°C which developed severe off-flavors, and it was considered the most important contributor to the objectionable odors that render the modified atmosphere stored broccoli florets unmarketable (14). Similarly, we observed that broccoli florets stored in heat-sealed barrier pouches (15 cm X 25 cm o.d. 70 g/bag Curlon X/K-28 Grade 850 Curwood, New London, with oxygen transmission rates less than 1 cc 02/645 cm /24 hr developed offensive sulfurous odors within a few days storage at 4 C. 

Modulation of Objectionable Flavors in Broccoli. Since caraway seed has been utilized successfully in commercial Bavarian-style sauerkraut for suppressing undesirable sulfurous flavors, other applications to cruciferous vegetables seemed... 

Modified Atmosphere Stored Broccoli Florets. Since TBHQ and caraway seed flavonoid components exhibited the same effect on depletion of methanethiol in model systems, they were examined for efficacy in suppressing methanethiol-related off-flavors in broccoli florets stored under modified atmospheres. Freshly prepared broccoli florets (ca 3 cm long) were treated by dipping them in cell-free cni caraway seed extracts or aqueous TBHQ solutions (100 ppm), and allowing excess liquids to drain off. Control samples were dipped in distilled water. Broccoli samples were placed in the heat-sealed Curlon 850 pouches described earlier (70 g/pouch), and then held under refrigeration at 4°C until used for GC-FPD and descriptive sensory analysis 8 days later. 

Some panelists noted that when pouches containing control or treated samples were opened, offensive odors were perceived which dissipated rapidly. Presumably, this effect would be caused by methanethiol which has a b.p. 6°C. However, panelists noted that they could still dif ferentiate the odor characteristics between the samples receiving different treatments. Thus, it appears that the concentrations of higher boiling volatile sulfur compounds (e.g., dimethyl disulfide) were also influential in the flavor quality and consumer acceptance of broccoli florets stored under modified atmospheres. 

The influence of dimethyl disulfide on flavor quality of modified atmosphere stored broccoli florets was further demonstrated by data shown in Table VI which revealed that aroma assessments of undesirable sulfurous aromas in broccoli florets more closely corresponded with concentrations of dimethyl disulfide than with methanethiol. In this experiment broccoli florets were treated by dipping in various solutions containing either ascorbic acid (500 ppm), sodium hy oxide (0.01 M), or phosphoric acid (0.1 M). Broccoli florets dipp in distilled water were used as the control samples. Samples held in sealed Curlon 850 pouches were analyzed after storage for 4 days at 10°C. Ascorbic acid was included in this study because it acts as a reducing agent for methanethiol under anaerobic conditions in model systems (25). 

The Brassica plants also obtain a flavor contribution from alkyl cysteine sulfoxide precursors. The Brassica group includes broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauhflower, and rutabagas. S-Methyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide is the primary cysteine sulfoxide derivative found in this family. An investigation of fresh cabbage flavor found that 6% of the volatiles was dimethyl disulfide, 6% dimethyl trisulfide, 3% dimethyl tetrasulfide, and 1.5% methyl ethyl trisulfide [6]. 

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