Mechanical Digestion of Broccoli through Chewing and its Impact on Myrosinase Activity

Abstract

Anne-Marie Kosi-Kupe, Alexis Cobau, Seanice Beard, Amanda Carswell, Maha Ahmad, Maria Sanchez and Hanaa Saleh

Myrosinase activity on broccoli glucosinolates has been widely and extensively discussed.

Purpose: Studies on cruciferous vegetables, especially broccoli, have gained significance in the fight against cancer. Glucosinolates in broccoli transformation into sulforaphane occur after its exposure through chewing. However, the relationship between individual chewing patterns and denture morphology has not been studied extensively. Research on human digestion has demonstrated how the mechanical breakdown of larger food particles into smaller ones is a crucial precursor to chemical food breakdown. This study is a comparative analysis of how chewing on broccoli tissues by dif- ferent individuals enables the enzyme myrosinase to break down broccoli glucosinolates chemically. We investigate the individual chewing patterns linked to the surface anatomy of the pre-molars and molars and the myrosinase activity on broccoli glucosinolates.

Methods: Three individuals chewed a 4-millimeter broccoli floret four times sequentially (2 grams), and we measured the floret length at each bite until the sample was ground. Then, we combined the chewed broccoli with distilled water, filtered it, and myrosinase activity was measured using photo spectrometric measurements and an agar diffusion test. Individual pre-molars and molars samples were measured in millimetres.

Results: Data from the three human chewing mechanisms compared to the mechanical breakdown performed by an au- tomatic mixer shows different and individually specific values.

Conclusion: Individual chewing patterns link to the unique surface anatomy of the pre-molars and molars, subsequently impacting the myrosinase activity on broccoli glucosinolates’ breakdown individually

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