Polyphenol Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Two Autochthonous Brassicaceae of the Campania Region, Southern Italy

Torzella (Brassica oleracea acephala) is one of the most ancient kinds of cauliflower developed in the Mediterranean area. Broccolo (Brassica oleracea botrytis cimosa), var. "San Pasquale" is a leafy vegetable cultivated in Campania too, mainly in the province of Naples. We evaluated the polyphenols content and the antioxidant activity of these two Brassicaceae, provided by the same experimental plant of the Campania region. Both vegetables showed high content of total polyphenols (6.37 mM GAE/g and 2.24 mM GAE/g of Torzella and Broccolo, respectively), and a remarkable antioxidant activity (EC50 1.53 mg and EC50 6.51 mg, in Torzella and Broccolo, respectively). Polyphenol composition, determined by ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), allowed us to detect a certain number of compounds (gallic, ferulic, chlorogenic, p-coumaric and caffeic acids, catechin, luteolin, naringenin) common to both species. Therefore, epicatechin was found only in the extract of san Pasquale broccoli; on the contrary, rutin and apigenin were detected only in the extracts of torzella broccoli. Hence, such products can be considered therapeutic functional foods due to their extraordinary reserve of secondary metabolites and bioactive constituents that are beneficial for managing and preventing several chronic illnesses in humans.