Evaluating the Antibacterial Properties of Polyacetylene and Glucosinolate Compounds with Further Identification of Their Presence within Various Carrot (Daucus carota) and Broccoli (Brassica oleracea) Cultivars Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with a Diode Array Detector and Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Analyses

Ongoing consumer concerns over using synthetic additives in foods has strongly influenced efforts worldwide to source suitable natural alternatives. In this study, the antibacterial efficacy of polyacetylene and glucosinolate compounds was evaluated against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial strains. Falcarinol [minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 18.8-37.6 μg/mL] demonstrated the best overall antibacterial activity, while sinigrin (MIC = 46.9-62.5 μg/mL) was the most active glucosinolate compound. High-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector analysis showed falcarinol [85.13-244.85 μg/g of dry weight (DW)] to be the most abundant polyacetylene within six of the eight carrot (Daucus carota) cultivars investigated. Meanwhile, sinigrin (100.2-244.3 μg/g of DW) was the most abundant glucosinolate present within the majority of broccoli (Brassica oleracea) cultivars investigated using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. The high abundance of both falcarinol and sinigrin within these respective species suggests that they could serve as potential sources of natural antibacterial agents for use as such in food products.