Broccoli is considered one of the healthiest vegetables own to its high content of beneficial biologically active compounds – the breakdown products of the glucosinolates, the isothiocyanates. The aim of this work was to characterize the production of isothiocyanates (sulforaphane and iberin and related metabolites) from different sources of glucosinolates by means of comparison between different broccoli cultivars and commercial samples, investigating their composition and in vitro bioavailability. Differences in the major intact glucosinolates were observed between the different experimental and commercial samples showing lower concentrations of glucosinolates the latest. The simulation of digestion reduced the concentration of parental phytochemicals (glucosinolates) producing the hydrolysis to biologically active isothiocyanates. The commercial samples showed lower levels of ITCs than experimental broccoli cultivars. Measurement of the glucosinolates ingested by UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS has allowed an exact quantifying of these compounds, particularly isothiocyanates, which will help to futures cancer chemoprevention studies.
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