Carotenoids, flavonoids, chlorophylls, phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in fresh and cooked broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. Avenger) and cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. Alphina F1)

•Broccoli and cauliflower represent excellent sources of bioactive compounds.•Broccoli and cauliflower had greater antioxidant capacity in microwave process.•Boiling process for broccoli retaining higher concentrations of bioactive compounds.•For cauliflower, steaming resulted in higher content of carotenoids and kaempferol.•For cauliflower, microwave resulted in higher amounts quercetin and phenolics.

Vegetables from the family Brassicaceae are excellent sources of bioactive phytochemicals and may reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Cooking of vegetables can improve the bioavailability of some of these compounds. We evaluated the extractability of carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds and chlorophylls in fresh inflorescences of broccoli and cauliflower and subjected to different cooking conditions. Boiled broccoli inflorescences had higher concentrations of bioactive compounds than other cooking methods do, due to the high temperature and short cooking time. Fresh and microwaved cauliflower retained phenolic compounds (1750 and 1792 mg/100 g) and quercetin, whereas boiling retained more 2192 μg/100 g of β-carotene and 168 μg/100 of vitamin A and steaming produced higher concentrations of lutein (1197 μg/100 g), 88.6 μg/100 g of zeaxanthin, 152 μg/100 g of cryptoxanthin, 86.6 μg/100 g of α-carotene and 3174 μg/100 g of total carotenoids. Cooking can, in some cases, improve the extractability of bioactive compounds in vegetables.