NUTRACEUTICAL PROFILE IN ITALIAN VARIETIES OF CAULIFLOWER (BRASSICA OLERACEA L., SUBSP. BOTRYTIS)

Four different typologies of cauliflower, ‘Verde di Macerata’, ‘Violetto di Catania’, ‘Jesino’, ‘Verde Romanesco’, were conventionally cultivated in one growing season and subjected to a comparative quality characterization: sulfurorganic volatile substances, glucosinolates, ascorbic acid, total active reducing groups, total caroten-oids and antioxidant capacity. ‘Verde di Macerata’ and ‘Violetto di Catania’ showed the highest contents in sulfurorganic volatile compounds. As regards the evaluation of the nutraceutical profile, glucosinolates, recognized as precursors of anticarcinogens compounds such as isothiocyanates and indoles, were characterized for the individual compounds, glucoraphanin, glucobrassicin and sinigrin with their different amounts in each typology. The lowest total amount was ascertained in ‘Jesino’. Moreover, among the studied varieties, ‘Violetto di Catania’ and ‘Verde Romanesco’ reached the highest level of ascorbic acid (ranging from 92-127 mg/100 g f.w.), total active reducing groups (60-89 mg/100 g f.w.) and total carotenoids contents (0.8-1.44 mg/ 100 g f.w.), according to the results of the antioxidant capacity measured by DPPH* assay.