There was much media coverage last week about the arrival on the market of a new variety of broccoli.
There is some confusion, and perhaps some overuse, of the word "superfood". However, the report in the Financial Times referred to this new broccoli variety as a "superfood", owing to it being a "hybridised variety, richer in the chemicals linked to a reduced risk of cancer and cardiovascular problems".
It would appear that this new variety will only be available through limited outlets, Marks & Spencer having been the first to sign up, and who will reportedly be selling at a 50% premium. The breeding is a cross between an original British broccoli and Sicilian wild broccoli. Presumably, coming from an island favoured by the Mafia, it has nothing to do with Cubby Broccoli!
Regrettably, although equally interestingly, the variety is owned and controlled by Monsanto - who control a large percentage of the seed industry, but assuredly don't behave in a Sicilian way. Maybe at last they realised that there is equal potential to deliver productivity gain through means other than genetic modification, as this is entirely a hybridisation process that has delivered the new variety and its potential benefits.
The breeders at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, led by Prof Richard Mithen, are acutely aware of the limitations that exist for anyone making health claims about food, but they believe they have excellent data and will be submitting it to regulators shortly.
This new broccoli variety, Beneforté, brings added levels of a key phytonutrient. It contains two to three times the level of the phytonutrient glucoraphanin than standard broccoli. Glucoraphanin is a beneficial chemical that is found naturally in broccoli and is thought to help explain the link between eating broccoli and lower rates of heart disease and some forms of cancer. Glucoraphanin also leads to a boost in the body's antioxidant enzyme level.
Broccoli is the only commonly eaten vegetable that contains meaningful quantities of glucoraphanin. This naturally occurring compound is converted in the gut to the bioactive compound sulforaphane, which then circulates in the bloodstream. The concentration of sulforaphane in sprouted broccoli is extremely high. A large body of scientific evidence indicates that sulforaphane is likely to have beneficial effects such as reducing chronic inflammation, stopping uncontrolled cell division, and inducing antioxidant enzymes, as detailed by Juge et al (2007) Cell Molecular Life Sciences 64, 1105-27
There is more to be read on this here
