“Brussels: a Bittersweet Story”, 2010-12-20 (; backlinks):
the varieties on the table today are very different from those that we would have been eating in the past, according to Peter van der Toorn, head of R&D in the leafy vegetables section at agrochemicals major Syngenta. ‘We don’t have real bitter tasting sprouts anymore’, Van der Toorn says. ‘Our product range has moved to a series of “classic” tasting varieties and another series of super mild tasting varieties. But even the classic tasting sprouts are not as bitter as they were’.
Syngenta claims to be the leading company for creating new Brussels sprouts varieties, with a market share of roughly 80%. The company currently produces 24 commercial varieties—needed to ensure year-round availability, Van der Toorn says. ‘From 2012 onwards, Syngenta will have a complete assortment of super mild tasting hybrids available to guarantee product supply to consumers during the whole growing season.’ And the company is also now evaluating new red-coloured sprouts varieties, such as those on offer this Christmas at UK supermarket giant Asda. These red Brussels are currently being grown by Cambridgeshire farmer John Lankfer, who is reportedly supplying selected stores with 100 tons of the brassica over the festive season. As well as their esthetic appeal, the red sprouts are also claimed to have a milder, sweeter flavour, which it is hoped will make them more attractive to children.
…Syngenta began a breeding programme to develop milder tasting Brussels varieties in the early 1990s. While many older people prefer the classical bitter tastes, Van der Toorn notes that younger people tend to prefer the milder tasting varieties that have now become the industry standard.
The bitter taste of Brussels sprouts comes from compounds called glucosinolates and their degradation products, he explains. These bitter tasting compounds are an important part of the plant’s defence mechanism against leaf-eating enemies, such as insects, nematodes, slugs, and herbivores, like pigeons and deer. They are also responsible for many of the health-giving properties of Brussels and other brassicas, particularly their antioxidant and anti-cancer properties…Syngenta scientists first discovered the relationship between glucosinolates and bitter taste in the early 1990s, Van der Toorn says: ‘The lower the level of some glucosinolates the less bitter the taste of the Brussels, which is perceived as milder or sweeter.’ Fortunately, ‘the ones that are causing the bitter taste in Brussels sprouts are not the ones that have health benefits’, he adds. The first of its sweeter tasting varieties, called Maximus, was introduced onto the marketplace in 1994, while another popular variety this Christmas is Helemus.
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