Food and Beverages

Objective: Previous studies have found bioactive compound like carotenoids found in tomato juice and isothiocyanates

found in broccoli, associated to positive health outcomes and cancer prevention. The data suggest these foods are worth investigating further but lack of acceptability due to flavor and texture. The goal is developing a product with significant dose of isothiocyanates with high organoleptic quality. A multi-characterization approach was used to analyze microstructural properties, bioactive present and sensorial acceptability in a pretreated Broccoli Sprout Powder (BSP) in tomato juice. Methods: Fresh broccoli sprouts were washed, dried and vacuum sealed, and sous vide (Model SVS-10LS, CO) at 60°C for 10 minutes. They were flash frozen with liquid nitrogen and freeze dried for 48 hours, pulverized into a powder and stored in a low humidity environment at 4°C until analyses. Rheological temperature-dependence studies between 25-65°C were conducted to assess impact of one gram of BSP in 6 oz of tomato juice (GFS, Columbus, OH) flow properties. HPLC/MS analysis was used to determine quantitatively and qualitatively the bioactive analytes of interest. Dynamic light scattering determined particle size range and dispersion. Sensory panel tests were performed to determine consumer acceptability using hedonic scale, JAR and preference test.

Results: The level of glucosinolates by HPLC/MS resulted in 50.79 μmol/g in steamed BSP, 1.86 μmol/g for the pretreated and 19.75 μmol/g for the raw control demonstrating the potential optimization of phytochemicals with heat processing. The rheological testing showed that at the proposed dose, there was a statistically insignificant increase in the viscosity, elastic and loss modulus, demonstrating stability and compatibility between tomato juice and BSP. Dynamic light scattering data shows the BSP particles to be in a size range between 600 nm and 9000 nm with a polydispersity value of 0.513. Results of a sensory panel showed acceptability amongst the tested tomato juice with broccoli powder.