Increased stability of Bimi® glucosinolates by bioencapsulation.

Brassica vegetables are of particular interest not only for their nutritional profile but also as a source of health-promoting bioactives. However, its bitter taste affects its acceptability by the consumer prompting the development of novel varieties with better acceptability such as Bimi®. Elicitors have been used to stimulate the biosynthesis and accumulation of secondary metabolites in plant-foods. Nevertheless, little is known about the response of these new hybrid varieties. To this point, a study was designed to evaluate the effects of elicitors (200 µM salicylic acid (SA), 100 µM Methyl-Jasmonate (MeJA) and their combination), on the composition of Bimi® (Brassica oleracea var. italica x Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra). For this purpose, the composition of the glucosinolates present in Bimi® samples obtained from experimental farm under climatic conditions of Mediterranean SE Spain, by evaluating edible florets and vegetative tissues (leaves) were studied. The plant material was used to elaborate extracts to study the stability and bioaccesibility of the glucosinolates in Bimi® by using gastrointestinal simulated digester system and further RP-HPLC-ESI-MSn analysis. In order to improve the stability, the protective effect of a novel bioencapsulation system using plant material (plasma membrane vesicles obtained from Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) was also evaluated. Premilinary results are encouraging more research for the development of stable and bioaccessible ingredients from Brassica for health-promoting activities using natural matrices for encapsulation.