Glucosinolate-derived volatiles in raw vegetables, fujisawakabu and yukina, and their pickled or salted products

Two kinds of cruciferous vegetables indigenous to Yamagata Prefecture, fujisawakabu and yukina, were characterized for their glucosinolate-derived volatiles, along with those from their pickled or salted products. Among the isothiocyanates detected in raw Fujisawakabu, 2-phenethyl isothiocyanate was the major pungent component. 3-Butenyl and 4-pentenyl isothiocyanates were detected with relatively lower amounts, while their corresponding toxic 1-cyanoepithioalkanes were the major volatile components. Although raw yukina had both 3-butenyl and 4-pentenyl isothiocyanates as the major pungent components, much larger amounts of nitrites, including 1-cyanoepithioalkanes were found in the volatiles. In contrast, amounts of the toxic 1-cyanoepithioalkanes were markedly reduced in both pickled fujisawakabu (fujisawakabu-zuke) and salted yukina (yukina-fusube-zuke), as the major volatile products formed from glucosinolates were the isothiocyanates found in the raw vegetables.