• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.804-810
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• 2010

Sulforphane (SF) is a family of biologically active compound that is distributed widely in broccoli. Although studies in rodents have shown that these compounds are effective and versatile inhibitors of tumorigenesis, the role of dietary SF in protection against human cancers remains to be established. The objective of this study was to explore the quantitative relationship between the dietary intake of cruciferous vegetables and urinary excretion of SF. The effects of dietary broccoli on the body's ability to detoxify were studied in six male subjects between the ages of 22~30 years. Study included administering a glucosinolate-free diet for 8 days (control period). The broccoli diet was further subdivided into two periods; 250 g broccoli was fed per day during the first three days and 500 g broccoli was fed per day during the latter three days. After an 8-day washout period, a second experiment was conducted. The same protocol was used with the exception that uncooked broccoli was consumed. Urinary SF mercapturate was measured to determine the bioavailability of broccoli. The linear trend for mercapturate excretion was dose-dependent, resulting in 3.8- and 1.9-fold increase by the third and six days, respectively, compared to the control. Lower amount of SF-NAC conjugate was detected in cooked broccoli compared to fresh broccoli suggesting cooking may have caused a significant loss in glucosinolates in cruciferous vegetables. Therefore, SF can be used as a biomarker for intake of cruciferous vegetables.