New Broccoli Variety Benefits British Consumers

Publicly-funded research at two of the UK’s world-leading biological research institutes - the Institute of Food Research (IFR)nd the John Innes Centre (JIC) - emerged into the consumable sector earlier this summer when a new variety of broccoli with higher levels of a key phytonutrient began circulating from all major UK supermarkets.

Both Institutes received strategic funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). Beneforté broccoli was initially trialled in Marks and Spencer from October last year.

IFR scientists are continuing to develop our understanding of what it is about broccoli, a type of brassica, that makes it a particularly healthy food. Studies show that people with a higher proportion of brassicas in their diet have lower risks of some diseases. Ongoing research is revealing exactly how brassica phytonutrients exert their effect on human health.

The Italian-sounding name, Beneforté, is a nod to origins of the research. It began when Professor Richard Mithen began to analyse wild brassicas from Italy for glucosinolates.

“We started a programme to explore the genetics of glucosinolates as well as to develop broccoli breeding lines with high levels of these compounds.”

Research at IFR and elsewhere in the UK and US suggested that a particular compound, sulforaphane, derived from a glucosinolate called glucoraphanin, had certain anti-cancer and health-promoting properties.

The researchers used conventional breeding techniques to develop the new broccoli, which contains two to three times the level of glucoraphanin than standard broccoli. Research continues, in collaboration with the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, to explain the link between eating broccoli and lower rates of heart disease and some forms of cancer.

“The results of years of study, at IFR and elsewhere, of the role of glucoraphanin in the diet are now coming to fruition,” said Professor David Boxer, Director of IFR.

“Our research can make it possible for new healthy and safer food products to be developed, reducing the need for medical and social intervention. It can provide new insights into how certain food components moderate our risk of disease.”

Dr Jan Chojecki, Managing Director of PBL, the tech transfer company that helped move the research beyond the lab said: “The development of Beneforté has pioneered a new and distinctive type of an already popular fresh vegetable. It is great that this British product is now widely available to everyone in the UK”.