Abstract
Seven cultivars of Brassica vegetables indigenous to China and two cultivars (Taisai and Surugana) of Japanese Brassica vegetables were cultivated at the same experimental station in Shizuoka Prefecture and compared for their major ingredients. The Chinese cultivars were generally richer in any of the ingredients examined than Taisai (B. campestris L. var. chinensis). Surugana (B. campestris L. var. chinensis), a new cultivar bred by crossing between Chinese Yutsuaishin (B. campestris L. var. parachinensis) and Japanese Komatsuna (B. campestris L. var. rapifera), was intermediary of these two parent cultivars with respect to the ingredient composition. The amounts of crude protein, crude fat, minerals, β-carotene and vitamin C were larger in Yutsuaishin than in any other Chinese cultivars. Tatsuai (B. campestris L. var. narinosa) was characterized by its high contents of protein, iron and, especially, β-carotene. It was also characteristic that Chieran (B. oleracea L. var. alboglabra) contained a relatively low amount of β-carotene and a relatively high amount of vitamin C. Soluble oxalic acid existed at higher levels in Yutsuaishin and Chieran than in the other Chinese cultivars examined.
