EP-3821703-B1 - S-METHYLMETHIONINE-RICH BRASSICA OLERACEA PLANT

Inventors

• KAWAMURA, MANABU

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20190709

Claims (4)

1. A use of a broccoli, a part of the broccoli, or a processed product of the broccoli, or a part thereof, whereby the broccoli comprises S-methylmethionine in a content of 48 mg/100 g fresh weight (FW) or more in florets, and has a genetic trait causing an increased content of S-methylmethionine in a content of 48 mg/100 g fresh weight (FW) or more in florets, for producing S-methylmethionine, wherein the genetic trait is present in a broccoli, the representative seeds of which are deposited under Accession Number: FERM BP-22352, and wherein the genetic trait is obtained by crossing.
2. The use according to Claim 1, wherein the part of the broccoli is florets.
3. A method for producing S-methylmethionine, comprising obtaining S-methylmethionine from a broccoli, a part of the broccoli, or a processed product of the broccoli or the part thereof, whereby the broccoli comprises S-methylmethionine in a content of 48 mg/100 g fresh weight (FW) or more in florets and has a genetic trait causing an increased content of S-methylmethionine in a content of 48 mg/100 g fresh weight (FW) or more in florets, wherein the genetic trait is present in a broccoli, the representative seeds of which are deposited under Accession Number: FERM BP-22352, and wherein the genetic trait is obtained by crossing.
4. The method according to Claim 3, wherein the part of the broccoli is florets.

Description

Technical Field The present invention relates to Brassica oleracea plants with higher content of S-methylmethionine than conventional Brassica oleracea plants and a method for producing the same. Background Art Plants in the family Brassicaceae are plant species originating from the Middle East and the Mediterranean coast, and plants of the genus Brassica encompass very important agricultural crops. In particular, Brassica oleracea (Brassica oleracea L.) is a very important plant species including B. oleracea L. var. capitata (cabbage), Brassica oleracea L. var. italica (broccoli), Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis (cauliflower), B. oleracea L. var. gemmifera (Brussels sprouts), B. oleracea L. var. gongyloides (kohlrabi), B. oleracea L. var. acephala (kale), and B. oleracea L. var. alboglabra (Chinese kale) and other species. Among plants of the genus Brassica in the family Brassicaceae, consumption in Japan of broccoli has been expanding since the 1980s. Florets and stems of broccoli are used for food, as broccoli is rich in vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin A, and dietary fibers. It is also rich in carotene and iron, and it contains substances such as sulforaphane, which is considered to have cancer prevention properties. Thus, broccoli is recognized as a vegetable with many health benefits. S-methylmethionine is a sulfur-containing amino acid that is also sometimes referred to as vitamin U or "cabagin" since it was found in cabbage. It is an anti-digestive tumor factor and it is present in its free form in vegetables. The S-methylmethionine content in vegetables has been examined. According to the results of analysis provided in a report, the S-methylmethionine content in vegetables of Umbelliferae, Solanaceae, and Liliaceae is 1 to 4 mg% based on fresh weight and the content in vegetables in the family Brassicaceae is 4 to 20 mg% based on fresh weight. Among vegetables in the family Brassicaceae, in particular, the S-methylmethionine content in watercress, Chinese cabbage, and cabbage is relatively low (2 to 4 mg%), and that in cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, and field mustard is as high as 10 to 20 mg% (Non-Patent Literature 1). The content in green tea is 1 to 9 mg% based on dry weight. According to a report on distribution of nutritional components in different parts of broccoli, florets contain a large quantity of S-methylmethionine, and it is larger than that in other parts, such as stems, lower parts of the main axis, rachis, leaves, and roots; i.e., 16.7 mg/100 g FW (Non-Patent Literature 2). Patent Literature 1 discloses a method of introducing heterologous chromosomes into plants to increase the amount of amino acid and/or amino acid-associated substance in plants. While S-methylmethionine is a type ofamino acid, Patent Literature 1 does not disclose plants in the family Brassicaceae with an increased content of S-methylmethionine. Citation List Patent Literature Patent Literature 1: JP 2013-143920 APatent Literature 2: JP 2007 089572 A Patent Literature 2 discloses an edible plant having a S-methylmethionine content of 70mg/100gFW or more obtained by immersing the edible plant in an aqueous solution containing vitamin U, which is then accumulated in the edible plant. Non-Patent Literature Non-Patent Literature 1: Achievement report of fiscal year 1988, Kozo Ohtsuki, the scientific reports of Kyoto Prefectural University (Natural science and living science) 40, 1989Non-Patent Literature 2: "Analysis of vitamin C content, S-methylmethionine content, and polyphenol content in different parts of broccoli and influence on cell function," the fiscal year of 2015, Fukuoka Industrial Technology Center, Research report No. 25 Summary of Invention Technical Problem The present invention provides broccoli plants with high S-methylmethionine content. The invention is defined in the claims. Solution to Problem The present inventor has conducted studies to provide broccoli plants with high S-methylmethionine content. This has led to the completion of the present invention. This description includes part or all of the content as disclosed in the description and/or drawings of Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-131069, which is a priority document of the present application. Advantageous Effects of Invention The present invention provides a broccoli plant with high S-methylmethionine content. The broccoli plant according to the present invention may be subjected to crosspollinting with another Brassica oleracea plant to produce a Brassica oleracea plant with high S-methylmethionine content. The S-methylmethionine-containing broccoli is useful for applications such as a pharmaceutical composition or food or beverage composition. According to the method for producing S-methylmethionine of the present invention, naturally-occurring S-methylmethionine can be produced. Brief Description of Drawings [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a chart demonstrating the correlation between the S-methylmethionine content and the number