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.