Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. Italica cv. Legacy) heads were harvested at commercial maturity from a commercial grower in La Plata, Argentina (34 590S and 58 30W). Thirty primary (terminal) and 30 secondary heads were harvested at 8:00 AM and carried immediately to the laboratory. The inflorescences were separated into florets with stems and immersed in chlorinated water (sodium hypochlorite, 150 mg L1) for 5 min. Approximately 110–140 g of broccoli florets were placed in plastic trays (around 15 florets per tray), wrapped with perforated PVC and stored in darkness at 4 C for 0, 14 and 21 d. Four trays were prepared for each inflorescence type and sampling date. Samples were taken at the aforementioned times and immediately evaluated or frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at 80 C until analysis. The whole experiment was repeated twice with similar results.