Sulforaphane, a type of isothiocyanate hydrolysed from glucosinolate, is a powerful anticancer compound naturally found in food especially in broccoli sprouts. Despite the function of sulforaphane has been extensively studied in recent years, little attention has been given to methods that can maximize the production of this compound in broccoli sprouts. The present study optimised the enzymolysis conditions for sulforaphane production in broccoli sprouts using response surface methodology. The maximum sulforaphane production (246.95 μg/g DW) was achieved using a solid-liquid ratio of 1:30, hydrolysis time of 1.5 h, ascorbic acid content of 3.95 mg/g DW sample, and temperature of 65 °C. The highest sulforaphane content in broccoli sprouts were 233.80 μg/g DW in 5-day-old sprouts and 1555.95 μg/g DW at day 4 of storage. The highest antioxidant activities were 37.22 U/min/g DW in 3-day-old sprouts and 35.08 U/min/g DW on 4th day of storage.
Keywords: Antioxidant; Broccoli sprouts; Different days; HPLC; Sulforaphane.