The Effects of Different Cooking Systems on Changes in the Bioactive Compounds, Polyphenol Profiles, Biogenic Elements, and Protein Contents of Cauliflower Florets

In the current study, we examined the effects of boiling cauliflower in a pressure cooker, conventional boiling, conventional heating, and microwave heating on the chemical components, total phenol, flavonoids, antioxidant capacity (DPPH test), phenolic compounds, and mineral contents of cauliflower florets to reveal the differences between these cooking methods. Cauliflower is generally consumed either boiled or cooked in dry heat. In this study, different boiling and dry heat cooking methods were tried to reveal the changes in phytochemical composition and protein and mineral contents of cauliflower florets. Depending on the cooking methods of the cauliflower florets, the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the cauliflower florets were determined to be between 273.72 (conventional heating) and 731.01 mg GAE/100 g (microwave heating) and 142.02 (conventional heating) and 797.10 mg/100 g (conventional boiling), respectively. The antioxidant capacity results of cauliflowers were found to be between 8.30 (conventional heating) and 33.69 mmol/kg (fresh). Statistically significant differences were detected in the moisture, total phenol, total flavonoid, and antioxidant activity values of cauliflower depending on the cooking techniques applied (p < 0.05). The gallic acid and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid values of fresh and cooked cauliflowers were identified to be between 10.93 (microwave heating) and 194.79 mg/100 g (boiling in pressure cooker) and 17.58 (conventional heating) and 145.80 mg/100 g (boiling in pressure cooker), respectively. In general, the lowest amounts of phenolic compounds were defined in cauliflower samples boiled with a conventional heating system, followed by cauliflower samples cooked with the microwave heating method. Considering the component amounts as a result of cooking, the highest phenolic component amounts were specified in the cauliflower sample cooked by boiling in a pressure cooker. The protein quantities of fresh and cooked cauliflowers were determined to be between 16.11 (fresh) and 19.79% (microwave heating). The K and S contents of fresh cauliflowers and cauliflowers cooked with different blanching methods were specified to be between 19,647.62 (conventional boiling) and 35,130.01 mg/kg (conventional heating) and 3196.54 (boiling in pressure cooker) and 5105.65 mg/kg (microwave heating), respectively. The K, Mg, S, Fe, Cu, Mn, and Zn results of cauliflowers cooked in an oven and microwave were higher than those cooked using the control and boiling methods.