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Abstract Glucosinolates, vitamin C, carotenoids and vitamin K1 concentrations were determined in different parts of the Brussels sprouts buds (outer leaves, middle leaves and core) and the Brussels sprouts plant (stem, buds, petioles and leaves). The outer leaves of the Brussels sprouts buds contained ≈26%, ≈95% and ≈59% more vitamin C, carotenoids and vitamin K1, respectively, compared to the core. Total glucosinolates concentrations were evenly distributed, although their profile was different. Regarding the Brussels sprouts plant, glucosinolates were mainly present in the stem (153 ± 21 mg/ 100 g fresh weight) and the buds (88 ± 8 mg/100 g fresh weight). Carotenoids and vitamin K1 were distinctly more present in the leaves (24 ± 1 mg/ 100 g fresh weight and 0.62 ± 0.07 mg/ 100 g fresh weight, respectively). The buds contained 44 to 50% more vitamin C (85 ± 3 mg/ 100 g fresh weight) than the other parts of the Brussels sprouts plant. Graphical Abstract

This study investigated the impact of preparation processes (as applied in large-scale kitchens) on the resulting sensory and health-related quality aspects starting from industrially blanched and frozen Brussels sprouts. A single (steaming) and a double-heat (steaming and reheating) preparation were considered. Consumers consume vegetables both whole and as disintegrated (puree-like) systems. Hence, in this study, two distinct pretreatment conditions (i.e., intact Brussels sprouts and Brussels sprouts puree) included in the preparation processes. It was observed that steaming intact Brussels sprouts via both preparation methods did affect the quality, but only to a limited extent, possibly explained by the fact that the starting material was blanched. Pretreatment was observed to be a determinative step, as also observed in the fact that the quality of puree-systems was more affected upon processing compared to the quality of the intact Brussels sprouts. GSLs and volatile profiles were indeed not observed to be affected largely upon preparation and reheating processing. However, vitamin C concentration did lead to loss of 38–45% due to heat and exposure to oxygen. In conclusion, pretreatment (e.g., blanching and disintegrating) is considered the most determinative step in affecting the resulting quality of Brussels sprouts, which can be kept in mind for industrial and home practices.