Wednesday, October 08, 2025

Brassica vegetables: nature’s hidden nutritional treasure

Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of Science

Strategies to Enhance Nutritional Value of Brassica Vegetables. — image:
Biofortification and nutritional enhancement of *Brassica* vegetables achieved through (A) agronomic practices, (B) conventional breeding, and (C) plant biotechnologies. N, nitrogen; S, sulfur; Se, selenium; GM, genetic modification.
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Credit: Horticulture Research

Brassica vegetables, including broccoli, kale, cabbage, and mustard greens, are rich in health-promoting compounds but remain underutilized in global diets. These crops contain a wide range of phytonutrients—such as glucosinolates, vitamins, carotenoids, phenolics, and essential minerals—that can reduce risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic conditions. Researchers have now comprehensively analyzed their nutritional profiles and highlighted strategies to boost their value through breeding, biofortification, and advanced biotechnologies. The review underscores that Brassicas not only offer dietary benefits but also represent an untapped opportunity for developing functional foods that could improve public health and address widespread micronutrient deficiencies.

Poor diets lacking in vegetables and fruits are a leading cause of micronutrient deficiencies and chronic diseases worldwide. While citrus fruits are well-known for vitamin C and leafy greens for folate, Brassica crops provide a broader spectrum of nutrients, including cancer-fighting glucosinolates, antioxidants like carotenoids, and vital minerals such as calcium and selenium. Despite their global cultivation and economic importance, these vegetables are often undervalued in nutrition-focused policies and consumer choices. Growing evidence suggests that Brassicas can serve as affordable, natural interventions against nutrient gaps and non-communicable diseases. Based on these challenges, there is a need for in-depth research into the nutritional potential of Brassica crops.

A new review from the College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, and collaborating institutions, published (DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhae302) on October 30, 2024 in Horticulture Research, provides the most comprehensive overview to date of the nutritional and health-promoting compounds in Brassica vegetables. The study highlights their roles in preventing chronic diseases and explores methods—including agronomic practices, conventional breeding, and metabolic engineering—to enhance their nutritional value. By framing Brassicas as “functional foods,” the authors call for renewed attention to these crops as essential tools in improving dietary health worldwide.

The review details the diverse phytonutrients in Brassicas and their impacts on health. Glucosinolates, abundant in broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage, yield biologically active compounds such as sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol that show strong anti-cancer properties. Vitamins—including vitamin C, folate, vitamin E, and vitamin K—contribute to antioxidant defense, iron absorption, and bone health. Carotenoids like lutein and β-carotene support eye function and immune resilience, while anthocyanins in purple varieties provide neuroprotective and cardioprotective benefits. Minerals such as calcium, potassium, and selenium enhance bone strength and reduce risks of hypertension and certain cancers.

The study also examines how cooking methods and food processing influence nutrient retention, showing that steaming or pairing Brassicas with oils can maximize bioavailability. Importantly, researchers outline strategies to enrich nutritional profiles: LED-based cultivation can increase carotenoids and anthocyanins in sprouts; selective breeding has already produced “super broccoli” rich in glucoraphanin; and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing offers tools to amplify beneficial metabolites while reducing anti-nutritional compounds. Collectively, these findings position Brassicas as an overlooked yet powerful solution to modern nutritional and health challenges.

“Brassica vegetables represent one of the most promising but underutilized dietary resources for improving public health,” said the authors of the study. “Their rich combination of vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds provides natural protection against chronic diseases ranging from cancer to cardiovascular disorders. What makes these crops unique is the opportunity to further enhance their value through breeding, biofortification, and metabolic engineering. Harnessing this potential can transform everyday vegetables like broccoli and kale into key players in global strategies for nutritional security.”

The findings emphasize the potential of Brassica vegetables to serve as accessible, low-cost interventions in combating global nutrition deficiencies and disease burdens. With growing consumer demand for functional foods, Brassicas offer an attractive alternative to synthetic supplements. Biofortified varieties and innovative agronomic practices could bring health-boosting crops to both developed and developing regions. Additionally, these vegetables’ genetic diversity makes them ideal candidates for future precision breeding and biotechnology programs. Beyond personal health, incorporating more Brassicas into diets could reduce healthcare costs and contribute to achieving global goals in food security, sustainable agriculture, and public health improvement.

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References

DOI

10.1093/hr/uhae302

Original Source URL

https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhae302

Funding information

This work was partially funded by the Innovative Research Group Project of Hebei Natural Science Foundation (grant number C2024204246), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers 32372736 and 32330096), the Science and Technology Project of the Hebei Education Department (grant numbers YJZ2024001 and JZX2024001), and the Hebei Natural Science Foundation (grant number C2023204308), the Key Research and Development Program of Hebei (grant number 21326311D-2).

About Horticulture Research

Horticulture Research is an open access journal of Nanjing Agricultural University and ranked number one in the Horticulture category of the Journal Citation Reports ™ from Clarivate, 2023. The journal is committed to publishing original research articles, reviews, perspectives, comments, correspondence articles and letters to the editor related to all major horticultural plants and disciplines, including biotechnology, breeding, cellular and molecular biology, evolution, genetics, inter-species interactions, physiology, and the origination and domestication of crops.

Journal

Horticulture Research

DOI

10.1093/hr/uhae302

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Brassica vegetables—an undervalued nutritional goldmine

Collaboration between academic research and business to better grasp environmental issues relating to the uranium mining cycle

CNRS

Officals — image:
From left to right: Bertrand Morel, Director of R&D and Innovation at the Orano Group; Thomas Rogaume, Deputy Vice-President for Platforms, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Poitiers; Michael Descostes, Head of R&D Environment at Orano Mining; Emmanuel Tertre, Lecturer and Researcher at the the Institute of Chemistry of Poitiers: Materials and Natural Resources; Virginie Laval, President of the University of Poitiers; Mehdi Gmar, Deputy CEO for Innovation at the CNRS; Hervé Toubon, Director of R&D and Innovation at Orano Mining; and Najib Hajjaji, Head of Strategic Industrial Partnerships at the CNRS.
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Credit: © University of Poitiers

The CNRS, the University of Poitiers, and Orano have inaugurated an associated research laboratory to develop solutions for better predicting the mobility of uranium and its decay products over the long term in mining context.
This new LabCom, named M-Cube, represents the continuation of a collaboration that spans over three decades.
The goal is to optimise each stage of the mining cycle–from exploration to the long-term remediation of sites–all while reducing the environmental impact of mining operations.

The CNRS, the University of Poitiers, and Orano inaugurated the M-Cube (Environments and Materials in a Mining Context) associated research laboratory on 7 October 2025 to explore solutions for more responsible operation of uranium mines across the entire cycle, from exploration to remediation. The LabCom will bolster the strong collaboration initiated over thirty years ago between academic research teams and those from Orano.

Uranium is central to nuclear energy production, and plays a key role in the energy transition. As global demand for low-carbon electricity increases, uranium needs will also rise in the years to come. Uranium is abundantly-available in the Earth’s crust, but its use faces new challenges. Future deposts are lower grade, calling for changes to existing techniques, as well as the development of new ones. In addition, the naturally radioactive element of uranium requires responsible management after extraction, in order to limit its impact and ensure the long-term environmental safety of operation sites.

By combining micron-level visualization tools for radioactive elements with precise mineralogical and geochemical analyses, the scientists from the M-Cube (Environments and Materials in a Mining Context) LabCom will identify new avenues for optimising the overall mining cycle, from exploring for deposits to the enduring remediation of sites, in addition to operations with a low environmental impact.

Long-standing collaboration for the responsible environmental management of the uranium mining cycle.

This collaboration, which dates back over 30 years, brings together complementary expertise. The Institute of Chemistry of Poitiers: Materials and Natural Resources1 (CNRS/University of Poitiers), a specialist in mineralogy and environmental geochemistry, develops cutting-edge equipment that can map natural radioactivity in rock and certain materials resulting from human activity, such as mill tailings. Orano provides its unique experience as a uranium producer present in the overall mining cycle across continents.

For the next four years, the researchers involved in this new collaboration will work to better predict the mobility of uranium and its descendants in geological formations that are currently or were previously operational. They will especially characterise the key role played by the clay minerals present in the deposits studied (in Kazakhstan, Canada, Mongolia, France, and Gabon, among others). These specific minerals can assume different roles in the mining cycle, serving as indirect markers for the presence of uranium, but they can also be detrimental to the deposit’s exploitation, all while playing a key role in remediating mining sites.

Mehdi Gmar, Deputy CEO for Innovation at the CNRS: “The CNRS is thrilled by the creation of the M-Cube associated research laboratory with the Orano group, which will optimise the mining cycle and reduce its environmental impact. Orano is one of the CNRS’s historical partners, with six active joint research structures, in addition to numerous research collaborations on shared scientific subjects. The signing of this associated research laboratory bears witness to a relationship of trust, and embodies our shared desire to strengthen ties between academic research and social and economic actors.”

Hervé Toubon, Director of R&D and Innovation for mining activity at Orano: “Orano is one of the world’s leading uranium producers, and invests in environmental R&D to provide its clients with supply that is sustainable and respectful of the environment. The LabCom’s creation continues more than 30 years of scientific collaboration with the University of Poitiers, and opens up new prospects for expanding knowledge regarding uraniferous environments.”

Virginie Laval, President of the University of Poitiers: “The University of Poitiers welcomes the creation of the M-Cube associated research laboratory with the enterprise Orano, which is in keeping with the 17 associated research laboratories previously created by the University of Poitiers. The university has a voluntarist policy toward innovation and the transfer of results from research conducted in its laboratories. This new structure grew out of the extensive research activity and collaborations that have existed for over 30 years between Orano and the Institute of Chemistry of Poitiers: Materials and Natural Resources (IC2MP - University of Poitiers/CNRS), in particular its Hydrogeology, Clays, Soils, and Alterations (HydrASA) team, on the functioning of uraniferous environments. This LabCom will strengthen the technological research and development interactions between our two structures, in connection with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #11, “Sustainable Cities and Communities.” It will notably focus on reducing the environmental impact from the operation of mining sites, and a better understanding of the mobility of radioactive descendants with high specific activity in anthropized environments. The structure will also help further develop collaboration with other academic and industrial partners. A major objective of M-cube will also be to develop training through research on these topics, notably by funding doctoral theses, postdoctoral fellowships, and Master’s internships, especially via the EUR Graduate School, of which Orano is a partner. The signing of this associated research laboratory reflects our shared desire to strengthen ties between the research conducted in university laboratories and those of enterprises.”

Specifically the Hydrogeology, Clays, Soils, and Alterations (HydrASA) team, which focuses on geoscience.

Method of Research

Experimental study

Making regular GPS ultra-precise

The GPS system we use today can be slowed by the "urban canyons" created by tall skyscrapers in big cities. A new approach can help solve this problem

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

image:
Strong GPS signals are required to navigate with electronic maps while driving in the city. For driverless cars, this is especially important. Now, researchers have figured out how to make GPS accurate to the decimeter.
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Credit: Photo: Anne Sliper Midling

We mostly take it for granted that the position shown by our GPS is correct.

But if we are in a new city and use the map app on our phone to find our way back to the hotel, it can often look like we are jumping around from one point to another – even though we are actually walking perfectly normally on the same pavement the whole time.

“Cities are brutal for satellite navigation,” explained Ardeshir Mohamadi.

He is a doctoral fellow at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and is working on how to make affordable GPS receivers (like the one in your mobile phone or your fitness watch) much more accurate without having to use costly additional services.

Having an accurate GPS position is especially important for cars that are designed to operate without a driver – so-called autonomous or self-driving vehicles.

Urban canyons

Mohamadi and his colleagues at NTNU have now developed a new system to help autonomous vehicles navigate safely within cities.

“In cities, glass and concrete make satellite signals bounce back and forth. Tall buildings block the view, and what works perfectly on an open motorway is not so good when you enter a built-up area,” said Mohamadi.

The problem is that signals are reflected between buildings and take longer to reach the receiver. As a result, the calculation of the distance to the satellites is incorrect and the position becomes inaccurate.

These types of difficult city environments are often called ‘urban canyons’. It is as if you are at the bottom of a deep ravine. The GPS signals that reach you, or the self-driving vehicle, may have been reflected many times on their way down into the ravine.

“For autonomous vehicles, this makes the difference between confident, safe behaviour and hesitant, unreliable driving. That is why we developed SmartNav, a type of positioning technology designed for ‘urban canyons’,” explained Mohamadi.

Almost down to the centimetre

Not only are the satellite signals disrupted down between the tall buildings, but the signals that are correct do not have sufficient precision.

In order to solve this problem, the researchers have combined several different technologies to correct the signal. The result is a computer program that can be integrated into the navigation system of autonomous vehicles.

To achieve this, they received help from a new Google service, but before we go any further, it might be helpful to know how GPS works:

GPS – the Global Positioning System – comprises many small satellites orbiting the Earth. The satellites send out signals using radio waves, which are received by a GPS receiver. When the receiver receives these signals from at least four satellites, it is able to calculate its position.

The signal consists of a message with a code indicating the satellite’s position and the exact time the signal was transmitted – like a text message from the satellite.

Replacing the code with the wave

It is this code that often becomes incorrect when the signal bounces around between buildings in a city. The first solution the NTNU researchers studied was dropping the code altogether. Instead, information about the radio wave can be used.

Is the wave travelling upwards or downwards when it reaches the receiver? This is called the carrier phase of the wave.

“Using only the carrier phase can provide very high accuracy, but it takes time, which is not very practical when the receiver is moving,” said Mohamadi.

The problem is that you have to stay still until the calculation is good enough – not just a microsecond, but for several minutes.

However, there are other ways to improve a GPS signal. The user can use a service that corrects the signal using base stations called RTK (Real Time Kinetics).

RTK works fine as long as the user is in the vicinity of one of these stations. This solution, however, is expensive and intended for professional users.

An alternative approach is PPP-RTK (Precise Point Positioning – Real-Time Kinematic), which combines precise corrections with satellite signals. The European Galileo system now supports this by broadcasting its corrections free of charge.

But there is even more help available.

Google and the wrong-side-of-the-street problem

While the researchers in Trondheim were working on finding better solutions, Google launched a new service for its Android customers.

Imagine you are planning a holiday to, say, London. You open Google Maps on your tablet. You then enter the address of your hotel and you can immediately zoom in on the street environment, study the hotel’s façade and the height of the surrounding buildings.

Google now has these types of 3D models of buildings in almost 4000 cities around the world. The company is using these models to predict how satellite signals will be reflected between the buildings. This is how they will solve the problem of it appearing as if you are walking on the wrong side of the road when using the map app, for example when trying to find your way back to your hotel.

“They combine data from sensors, Wi-Fi, mobile networks and 3D building models to produce smooth position estimates that can withstand errors caused by reflections,” Mohamadi said.

Precision you can rely on

The researchers were now able to combine all these different correction systems with algorithms they had developed themselves. When they tested it in the streets of Trondheim, they achieved an accuracy that was better than ten centimetres 90 per cent of the time.

The researchers say this provides precision that can be relied upon in cities.

The use of PPP-RTK will also make the technology accessible to the general public because it is a relatively affordable service.

“PPP-RTK reduces the need for dense networks of local base stations and expensive subscriptions, enabling cheap, large-scale implementation on mass-market receivers,” concluded Mohamadi.

Reference:
Ardeshir Mohamadi, Hossein Nahavandchi, Amir Khodabandeh: Phase-Only positioning in urban environments: assessing its potential for mass-market GNSS receivers Journal of Spatial Science, Published 25 July, 2025 https://doi.org/10.1080/14498596.2025.2536567