Kimchi produced with radishes cultivated in late spring has been reported to exhibit a stronger pungency compared to that prepared using radishes grown in autumn, which has been identified as a major challenge in the kimchi manufacturing industry. The...
Kimchi produced with radishes cultivated in late spring has been reported to exhibit a stronger pungency compared to that prepared using radishes grown in autumn, which has been identified as a major challenge in the kimchi manufacturing industry. The biochemical mechanisms responsible for seasonal variations in radish pungency have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, three radish (Raphanus sativus L.) cultivars, characterized by different pungency levels, were cultivated during spring and autumn. The contents of favor (pungency and sweetness)-related metabolites were analyzed to determine the factors responsible for the seasonal dependency of favor. The concentrations of glucoraphasatin-a key pungency-related metabolite-and various polar metabolites were analyzed. Although previous studies have demonstrated a correlation between glucoraphasatin content and radish pungency, this study suggests that the concentrations of glucoraphasatin and its hydrolysis product (raphasatin) do not fully account for the seasonally mediated variation in pungency among the cultivars. The seasonal variation in radish pungency may be attributed to the ratio of raphasatin content to the total sweetness of sugars [Raphasatin/ (fructose content x 2.0) + (glucose content x 0.6) + (sucrose content x 1.0)]. The levels of raphasatin and soluble sugars in white radish roots were influenced by differences in temperature and humidity between spring and autumn. The ratio of raphasatin content to total sweetness of sugars was found to vary by cultivar and season, suggesting its potential use as an indicator compound for evaluating pungency in radish. Furthermore, seasonal variation in metabolite profiles was analyzed to identify seasonal biomarkers and to understand insights into the physiological and biochemical changes associated with seasonal conditions. 1. Introduction Radish (Raphanus sativus L., 2n = 18), a key root crop in the Brassicaceae family, has long been cultivated across various regions including China, India, Japan, Korea, Europe, and the Americas (Carlson et al., 1985). In Korea, diverse F1 hybrid varieties have been bred to align with different seasonal cultivation systems (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) and consumer preference (big root, small root; Altari, Yeolmu, and processing for pickling) (Lee and Park, 2017). Due to the seasonal and cultivar-based variation, achieving standardization in radish is challenging. Therefore, the taste of radish-based kimchi varies depending on the properties of the radishes used (Ki-Don, 2000). Although radish exhibits substantial morphological variation, its glucosinolate profile is relatively simple and dominated by a few major compounds (Nishio and Kitashiba, 2017). Kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented dish with a historical background of over a millennium (Lee, 1991), continues to be a staple food, with approximately 467,000 tons produced in South Korea in 2018 (Han, 2020). Kimchi is primarily made by fermenting ingredients such as radish or kimchi cabbage, a process facilitated by lactic acid bacteria (Jang et al., 2015). Glucosinolates (sulfur-containing secondary metabolites) are widely present across species within the Brassica genus (Sadowski and Kole, 2016). These compounds are characterized into three major types based on the amino acid from which they originate: aliphatic glucosinolates (from methionine), aromatic glucosinolates (from phenylalanine or tryptophan), and indolic glucosinolates (from tryptophan) (Giamoustaris and Mithen, 1996; Nishio and Kitashiba, 2017). Among them, aliphatic glucosinolates are the most prevalent in Brassica crops. Their accumulation is influenced by various factors, including environmental conditions, abiotic stresses, and genetic background (Nishio and Kitashiba, 2017). The dominant glucosinolate is 4-methylthio-3-butenyl glucosinolate (glucoraphasatin) in radish roots, also referred to as dehydroerucin, which belongs to the aliphatic group and is derived from methionine. Glucoraphasatin accounts for over 90% of the total glucosinolate content in Japanese and Chinese radish varieties (Ishida et al., 2012). The concentration of glucoraphasatin in radish roots has been reported to vary depending on the cultivar (Yi et al., 2016). Raphasatin (4-methylthio-3-butenyl isothiocyanate) was identified as the pungency compound derived from radish roots (Kim and Rhee, 1986). Radish is known to have very low levels of epithiospecifier protein (ESP) activity, which allows for highly efficient conversion of glucoraphasatin into raphasatin by endogenous myrosinase (Ku et al., 2015; Nakamura et al., 2008; Wang et al., 2017). As a result, the pungency of radish is largely determined by its glucoraphasatin content. In addition, variations in raphasatin concentration may arise due to differences in myrosinase activity (Liu et al., 2021). The activity of myrosinase in radish can be influenced by environmental and seasonal factors, which may affect the conversion of glucosinolates into bioactive compounds (Charron and Sams, 2004; Charron et al., 2005; Rosa and Rodrigues, 1998; Wei et al., 2011). Therefore, accurate quantification of raphasatin is essential for understanding the variation in radish pungency. Glucosinolates contribute to plant defense mechanisms by deterring a range of biological threats, including fungi, nematodes, herbivores, and competing weeds (Rosa and Rodrigues, 2001). The enzymatic hydrolysis of glucosinolates into isothiocyanates upon tissue disruption contributes to the pungency taste, bitterness, and sulfurous aroma typical of Brassica species. (Padilla et al., 2007; Sadowski and Kole, 2016). These findings indicate that raphasatin levels in radish can be influenced by biotic and abiotic factors. Seasonal changes in glucosinolate accumulation have been documented across various Brassica crops, including radish, turnip, cabbage, and oilseed rape (Cartea et al., 2008; del Carmen Martínez-Ballesta et al., 2013; Sarwar & Kirkegaard, 1998; Schreiner et al., 2002; Zhang et al., 2008). A positive correlation between soil temperature and glucosinolate concentration has been observed in Brassica oleracea (Charron and Sams, 2004). In addition, drought-induced water stress has been shown to enhance glucosinolate levels in several Brassica species (Sánchez-Pujante et al., 2017). Sugars contribute not only to the characteristic sweetness of radish but also provide critical sources of carbon and energy and actively regulate plant growth and metabolic pathways by functioning as signaling molecules in the plant's life cycle (Merillon and Ramawat, 2017). In radish, high temperatures have been shown to accelerate the breakdown of sucrose into glucose and fructose (Hayata, 1986). However, optimal growth conditions (22/18℃) significantly enhance sugar accumulation in the hypocotyl, coinciding with rapid root thickening (Hayata, 1986). The perception of sweetness in radish is closely linked to the concentrations of glucose and fructose (Beck et al., 2014). Altari radish kimchi, known as Chonggak kimchi, is popular in Korea. Raphasatin-induced pungency is commonly identified as a key factor contributing to negative consumer perceptions of Altari radish kimchi. In contrast, in Japan, the strong pungency of raw and processed radish products-such as grated Oroshi-has been cited as a factor contributing to lower consumer preference (Nakamura et al., 2008). While fermentation under acidic conditions reduces radish pungency by degrading myrosinase and glucosinolates (Kim and Rhee, 1993), kimchi prepared from radishes grown in spring or summer-particularly those harvested in late spring-tends to exhibit a stronger pungency compared to kimchi made from autumn-harvested radishes. The glucoraphasatin content in radish roots have been reported to be influenced by genotype (Charron and Sams, 2004). However, limited research has investigated how seasonal variation affects raphasatin-the key compound responsible for radish pungency-as well as other taste-related metabolites. Thus, the present study analyzed glucosinolates, their hydrolysis products, and additional flavor-associated compounds in three radish cultivars cultivated during two distinct growing seasons (spring and autumn) in Korea (Coogan et al., 2001). In the current study, we employed a metabolomics-based approach to identify candidate metabolites that could explain the differences in pungency among the radish cultivars.