Determination of sulforaphane in broccoli and cabbage by high-performance liquid chromatography

Sulforaphane is an isothiocyanate that is present naturally in widely consumed cruciferous vegetables. A simple and accurate method for sulforaphane analysis based on methylene chloride extraction and RP-HPLC using linear gradient of acetonitrile in water was described. The feasibility of this procedure was tested by analysing the sulforaphane level in edible tissues of broccoli and cabbage as well as in other parts of broccoli. The mean value of sulforaphane content in broccoli was nearly five-fold higher than that in cabbage. The highest content of sulforaphane was found in the florets, while the lowest content was found in the leaves.