Anti-Inflammatory Activity: Sulforaphane From Brassica Vegetables
Key Points
Common glucoraphanin-containing vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy, kale, Chinese cabbage, garden cress, Japanese daikon, white/yellow/brown/black mustard & wasabi.
Tips:
1. mild-heat broccoli: 65 °C for 3 minutes in-pack or 60 °C for 1 minute during direct water blanching.
2. Eat steamed brassica vegetables ( or soup) with a side dish.
Side dish = skin-on Japanese daikon; or fermented brassica vegetables (like kimchi or sauerkraut); or a sauce containing fresh wasabi
3. Eat fresh or fermented brassica vegetables daily or every 2 days
Anti-inflammation activity of sulforaphane from brassica vegetables through Nrf2 pathway was reviewed in detail by Linus Pauling Institute, Micronutrient Information Center, and the last update was in April, 2017. Sulforaphane is converted from glucoraphanin in brassica vegetable in stomach and small intestine by active plant myrosinase, or in cecum and colon by gut bacterial myrosinase [5] ( illustrated in Figure 1). glucoraphanin is stable & water soluble [4], but myrosinase is denatured during high temperature cooking.
New Cooking Method: pre-heat-then-ferment
Cai et al, 2020 study the sulforaphane yield of broccoli vs cooking temperature, cooking time, fermented or not.
The condition for the highest sulforaphane yield is to pre-heat Broccoli at 65 °C for 3 minutes in pack, then ferment at 30 °C for ∼15 h using DeMan–Rogosa–Sharp (MRS) broth. The sulforaphane yields from pre-heated-then-fermented broccoli is 16 times, 8 times, and ~3.7 times more compared with those from the raw, the fermented raw, and the pre-heated respectively ( Table 1, [1]). The optimized pre-heating temperature is 65 °C for 3 minutes in-pack or 60 °C for 1 minute during direct water blanching.
Anti-Virus Effect reported recently:
Li et al , 2019 reported that sulforaphane extracted from broccoli seed has antiviral activity against influenza A/WSN/33 (H1N1) virus in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells [2]. Fonseca et al, 2020 studied COVID-19 mortality per number of inhabitants regarding the country consumption of fermented vegetables, pickled/marinated vegetables, fermented milk, yoghurt and fermented sour milk. And, they reached the conclusion that only fermented vegetables is statistically significantly negatively correlated with the COVID-19 death rate per country in Europe [3].
[1] Cai, Yan Xue et al. Mild heat combined with lactic acid fermentation: a novel approach for enhancing
sulforaphane yield in broccoli puree. Food Funct. 2020, 11(1), 779-786. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C9FO02089F
[2] Li Zhansheng et al. Natural Sulforaphane From Broccoli Seeds Against Influenza A Virus Replication in MDCK Cells. Natural Product Communications. June 17, 2019: 1-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1934578X19858221
[3] Fonseca Susana et al . Association between consumption of fermented vegetables and
COVID-19 mortality at a country level in Europe. medRxiv 2020.07.06.20147025. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.06.20147025
[4] Fahey W Jed et al. Sulforaphane Bioavailability from Glucoraphanin-Rich Broccoli: Control by Active Endogenous Myrosinase. PLoS One. 2015; 10(11):e0140963. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140963
[5] Francisco J Barba, et al. Bioavailability of Glucosinolates and Their Breakdown Products: Impact of Processing. Front Nutr. 2016;3:24. doi:10.3389/fnut.2016.00024
Figure 1: Summary of Cooking Tips
