# Characterization and Comparison of Raw _Brassica_ and Grass Field Sensorial and Nutritional Quality
## 1 Introduction  
In Italy, the expenses of the families for fruits and vegetables consumption have increased by about 6% from 2015 to 2020, despite a significant reduction of the total expenses dedicated to the food (ISTAT 2020, [[https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/202093](https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/202093)]([https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/202093](https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/202093))) (accessed on 22 December 2021); this confirms the consumer trend registered during these years that highlights the increasing attention to healthy foods. Among vegetables, brassicas and field herbs represented rustic and wild species characterized by a strong capacity of adaptation in hostile environments. In Italy, this group of vegetables is particularly widespread, and it can be easily cultivated in the Marche Region in Central Italy, where the ideal and optimal conditions for their growth, like mild climate and clay soils, are present. In this area is also common to find brassicas and grass fields as wild and spontaneous species. The cultivation of these typical vegetables represents a good alternative and economic opportunity for the growers [1].  
The present study investigated the nutritional quality of different vegetables belonging to the first-evolved range, an innovative production system that consist in the hand-harvesting and packaging of the edible younger portion of the product (constituted by new shoots and apical part of the plants). This process will provide to consumers a new product proposal of high antioxidant property that maintains and preserves the sensorial and nutritional quality during time. A lot of studies confirm the high quality of the younger portion, given that the antioxidant capacity and the concentration of phytochemicalcompounds strictly depend by the maturity stage of the plant; [PERSON] et al., 2004, found that the juvenile phase of cabbage has higher flavonoids content than the mature phase [2]. In detail, flower buds were found to be the most biologically active part, followed by leaves and steams [3; 4]. The hand-harvest of plant portion allows a reduction of soil compaction and an enrichment of soil organic matter during time, because the 80% of the plant remains on the ground acting as a cover and reducing the erosion risk. At the end of production cycles, the plants residues are milled and incorporated into the ground, with high benefits for soil characteristics. _Brassica_ crops are known to play an important role as soil improvers; furthermore, they act as disinfect for soilborne pests and pathogens, through the production of volatile sulfur compounds [5; 6].  
The importance of _Brassica_ vegetables and field grass intake is bound to their high concentration of phytochemical compounds and to their potential health promotion. In detail, these vegetables contain phenol compounds that represent, with vitamin C, 80-95% of total antioxidant capacity; among phenolics, anthocyanins (belonging to flavonoids) are responsible for the pigmentation of purple broccoli and red cabbage. Vitamin C includes ascorbic acid and its oxidation products as dehydrodiscorbic acid. The content of vitamin C varies significantly among and within species and depends by the genotype [7; 8]. Regarding the health potential, several medical studies posed strong attention on these vegetables, showing the high capacity to prevent and reduce some chronic illness, cardiovascular and degenerative diseases, and reporting anticancer activities [4; 9; 10; 11].  
The aim of this study is to characterize the nutritional and sensorial quality of several first-evolved range fresh vegetables belonging to raw _Brassica_ and grass field. The results will allow to identify the species, among the cultivated vegetables, with the highest antioxidant potential, both for developing future breeding programs, and for providing to consumers high quality and ready-to-eat products, favoring the vegetables intake.