Indole -3-carbinol is a nonessential nutrient derived from
glucobrassicin found in garden cress, mustard greens, Brussels's sprouts, horse radish, kale, kohlrabi, rutabaga, turnip, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower.
I3C in turn is a by - product of
glucosinolate glucobrassicin, a compound found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussel sprouts and cabbage.
However, the amount of total glucosinolates and the amount of indole -3-carbinol formed
from glucobrassicin in food is variable and depends, in part, on the processing and preparation of foods (for more detailed information, see the article on Cruciferous Vegetables).
A number of commonly consumed cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage, are good sources
of glucobrassicin — the glucosinolate precursor of I3C (see Food sources).
Although glucosinolates are present in relatively high concentrations in cruciferous vegetables,
glucobrassicin makes up only about 8 % -12 % of the total glucosinolates (93).
While the related cruciferous vegetables (Broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are all cultivars of one species, Brassica oleracea) all have admixtures of several glucosinolates, the one that appears to have the
most glucobrassicin is Brussels sprouts, followed by cauliflower, kale, and cabbage.
You don't necessarily have to supplement at all, because broccoli and brussel sprouts both have tons of the vital glucosinolate
glucobrassicin precursor compounds.
Phytonutrients in collard greens include phenols like caffeic and ferulic acid, flavonoids like quercetin and kaempferol, and glucosinolates
like glucobrassicin and glucoraphanin.
Its glucosonolates
include glucobrassicin, glucoraphanin, gluconasturtiian, glucopaeolin, sinigrin, glucobrassicanapin, glucoiberin, and gluconapin.
Among these compounds is indole -3-carbinol (I3C), a compound derived from the degradation of an indole glucosinolate commonly known
as glucobrassicin (Figure 1).
It's a benzopyrrole, and it is only formed when isothiocyanates made
from glucobrassicin are further broken down into non-sulfur containing compounds.
Indole -3-carbinol (I3C) is derived from the hydrolysis (breakdown)
of glucobrassicin, a compound found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, collards, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, turnips, and rutabagas.
The glucobrassicin found in Brussels sprouts can get converted into an isothiocyanate molecule called ITC, or indole -3-carbinol.
Cauliflower also contains certain compounds (sulforaphane,
glucobrassicin, glucoraphanin, and gluconasturtiian) which supports liver health and is beneficial for digestion and triggers the liver to produce detoxifying enzymes that block free - radical damage.I hope this easy roasted cauliflower makes a cauliflower fan out of you!
The glucobrassicin found in Brussels sprouts can get converted into an isothiocyanate molecule called ITC, or indole -3-carbinol.
The cancer protection we get from Brussels sprouts is largely related to four specific glucosinolates found in this cruciferous vegetable: glucoraphanin,
glucobrassicin, sinigrin, and gluconasturtiian.
The phytonutrients in particular are glucoraphanin, gluconasturtiian, and
glucobrassicin that help to increase detoxification.
(Commonly studied glucosinolates include glucophanin,
glucobrassicin, sinigrin, gluconasturiian, and glucotropaeolin.)
Certain compounds found in cauliflower, such as sulforaphane,
glucobrassicin, glucoraphanin, and gluconasturtiian, are very useful for helping the body to detox due to how they support liver function.
In addition to these two anti-inflammatory components, one of the glucosinolates found in collard greens —
glucobrassicin — can be readily converted into an isothiocyanate molecule called I3C, or indole -3-carbinol (I3C).
During boiling, more than 50 % of
glucobrassicin may be lost in cooking water [1].
The generation of I3C from
glucobrassicin may still occur to a lesser degree in the large intestine, due to the myrosinase activity of colonic bacteria (4).
Glucobrassicin, the glucosinolate precursor of I3C, is found in a number of cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, radish, rutabaga, and turnip (91, 92).