Health- and Sensory-Related Phytochemicals and Agronomic Characteristics of 26 Head Cabbage Cultivars

This study investigated
the variation in health- and sensory-related
phytochemicals and agronomic characteristics of 26 head cabbage cultivars
grown in randomized block field trials under commercial cultivation
conditions in three different harvest seasons. The main goal was to
provide increased knowledge on the nutritional quality of current
and potential new cabbage cultivars to allow for a substantiated choice
of cultivars for growers, industry, and consumers. Providing a wide
diversity, all cultivars performed well with regard to agronomic characteristics
that determine market quality and revenue. Sugar content, an important
parameter for consumer acceptance, was surprisingly similar in all
cultivars, although higher and more variable in the winter cultivars.
Red cabbages were among the highest in vitamin C, total phenolics,
and glucosinolate content, especially in the coveted glucoraphanin,
the precursor to sulforaphane. Savoy cabbage was highest in glucosinolate
content and high in vitamin C but more like white cabbages in all
other phytochemical parameters. Among the 20 white cultivars across
all three seasons, there were small but significant differences in
phytochemical content. Thus, the potential for product differentiation
among this selection of cabbages was high.