The intake of bioactive plant compounds through the vegetable consumption is an essential part of a healthy diet and contributes significantly to health maintenance.

The research group QUALITY 2 investigates the role of bioactive phytochemicals in plant-environment interactions. Our goal is to improve and safeguard the nutritional quality of vegetables – both under changing climatic conditions and throughout the food supply and processing chain. We aim to understand how bioactive plant compounds are regulated in Brassica vegetables, how environmental changes affect them, and which functions they fulfil for the plant.

A key focus of our research is the regulation of glucosinolate hydrolysis. Glucosinolates are plant metabolites that are converted into biologically active compounds when plant tissue is disrupted. These include isothiocyanates, which have cancer preventive properties. However, in Brassica vegetables such as red cabbage, pak choi, or broccoli, other compounds, such as epithionitriles or amines, can also be formed. Our aim is to better understand the regulation of enzymatic glucosinolate degradation and to elucidate and make use of the significance of these metabolites in plant health (e.g., drought stress resilience). Deciphering these degradation pathways will also help to generate Brassica vegetables with improved nutrient profiles.