Effects of pretreatment and modified atmosphere packaging on glucosinolate levels in coleslaw mix

• Pretreatment resulted in decrease of aliphatic glucosinolate contents in product.
• Glucosinolate content was higher in the most stored samples than in fresh salad.
• Glucosinolate extracts from tested samples exhibited cytotoxicity (MCF-7 cells).

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of soaking in an ascorbic acid (5 g/L) and citric acid (5 g/L) solution and modified atmosphere packaging on glucosinolate (GLS) levels in a coleslaw mix stored for 12 days at 4 °C. Samples were packaged under modified atmosphere consisting of 5/10/85, 20/25/55, 50/30/20, 70/30/0% of O2/CO2/N2, as well as air. The in-pack gas levels, the glucosinolate contents (GLS) and the in vitro cytotoxicity of the glucosinolate extract toward human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) were determined. The pre-treatment caused a significant decrease in the contents of aliphatic glucosinolates. During storage, following an initial increase, GLS decreased. After the storage period, the level of aliphatic glucosinolates in the coleslaw mix was 17%–34% lower than in the salad prior to pretreatment, though indole glucosinolates were 21%–152% higher. The 5/10/85% of O2/CO2/N2 atmosphere in packaging of the coleslaw mix resulted in the highest of GLS levels.