Organic green tea, one of the most-consumed beverages worldwide, is rich in bioactive compounds (flavonols
and flavanols) with healthy properties. Broccoli byproducts, consisting of leaves and stalks, are rich in
bioactive compounds, including nitrogen–sulphur compounds (glucosinolates and isothiocyanates) and
phenolics (chlorogenic and sinapic acid derivatives, and flavonoids), as well as essential nutrients (minerals
and vitamins). They are of high interest as a source of health-promoting compounds, useful as ingredients for
the development of functional foods. This work analyses minimally-processed broccoli byproducts as a source
of bioactive ingredients to design novel beverages, using organic green tea as a food matrix. Green tea
enriched with broccoli concentrates showed improved physical quality, phytochemical composition and
antioxidant capacity. The functional quality of these novel beverages depends on the proportion of broccoli
extracts added to the green tea. The results obtained in the present work should encourage the use of broccoli
byproducts as ingredients in novel functional foods.
Industrial relevance: The industrial use of broccoli byproducts as an ingredient in the development of novel,
functional foods may help to add value to the large amount of plant wastes generated in every cropping
season, thus reducing their environmental impact. The objectives and aims of the EU producers, industry and
stakeholders on the relationships between foods, nutrition and health, and therefore, the use of suitable
ingredients from the agriculture to have impact on human health and the environment, with a sustainable use
of natural resources are in agreement with this work, adding value to broccoli byproducts and encouraging
the production of novel products and applications for nutritional and/or health claims under the EU
Regulations (EC) No. 1924/2006 and 834/2007.