Widely targeted metabolomic analysis and antioxidant properties of seeds and sprouts from different broccoli cultivars

Broccoli seeds and sprouts are popular food crops, but the nutritional values of different broccoli cultivars lack intensive research. In this study, three cultivars of broccoli seeds and their sprouts, including Lv Hua (LH), You Xiu (YX), and Bi Lv (BL), were selected to investigate the metabolites, antioxidant properties, total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC). Totally 10 categories and 1015 metabolites were identified. Comparing the sprouts of LH, YX, and BL with their respective seeds, 612, 621, and 602 differential metabolites were detected, of which 404 metabolites were shared among the three cultivars, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis showed that the linoleic acid metabolism pathway was significant in three cultivars. Both the total and soluble fraction of LH had the highest values of antioxidant properties, TPC, and TFC. Overall, this study provided scientific support for the cultivar selection of broccoli germination and the development of their related products.