Glucoraphanin is a glucosinolate found in cruciferous plants, and the direct precursor of sulforaphane. Broccoli contains a rich glucosinolate profile, and glucoraphanin is the dominant member of it. Both the stem and the seed can be used as raw material; seed carries the higher concentration, and the seed extract is also comparatively low in interfering impurities, which is why it is easier to separate and standardise to a defined specification.
What it is
Chemically, glucoraphanin is a glucosinolate - a thioglucoside with a sulfoxide-bearing side chain. It is water-soluble and stable in the intact plant, where it is stored separately from the enzyme that acts on it. Its best-known biochemical role is as the precursor pool from which sulforaphane is formed.
From glucoraphanin to sulforaphane
In the intact plant, glucoraphanin and the enzyme myrosinase are held apart. When tissue is damaged - chopping, chewing, milling - the two meet, and glucoraphanin is hydrolysed. The main products of that hydrolysis are sulforaphane, sulforaphane nitrile, goitrin and iberin, with sulforaphane the most abundant under normal conditions. Sulforaphane is the compound most of the published broccoli research is built around; the best-established mechanistic finding is that it modifies cysteine residues on the Keap1 protein, releasing the transcription factor Nrf2 to upregulate phase II and antioxidant enzyme expression. That is a mechanism description, not a product claim.
The practical consequence for a formulator is that the two grades are not interchangeable. A glucoraphanin-standardised ingredient is a precursor; conversion depends on whether myrosinase is still active in the material or in the finished product. Always confirm which compound the specification is standardised on before comparing quotations.
Specification
| Item | Value |
| Product name | Glucoraphanin |
| CAS | 21414-41-5 |
| Extract part | Stem or seed |
| Specification | 0.1% – 20%; custom grades produced to order |
| Test method | HPLC |
| Grade | Food grade |
| Packaging | 25 kg fiber drum with food-grade inner liner |
| MOQ | Confirmed per order |
| Documents | COA, MSDS, specification sheet |
| Certifications | ISO9001, ISO22000, FSSC22000, HACCP, cGMP, FAMI-QS; HALAL, KOSHER, NOP, EOS where applicable |
Exact parameters are confirmed per order and stated in the batch Certificate of Analysis.
Stability: what the molecule is sensitive to
Glucoraphanin is a comparatively robust molecule, but four factors affect it in practice, and all four should be accounted for in formulation and storage:
• Light - exposure to light significantly promotes degradation. Packaging should be light-protective, and finished products benefit from opaque or amber containment.
• Heat - the molecule is relatively heat-resistant and stable below 100 °C. Degradation is markedly accelerated at 120 °C, so drying and any thermal processing step should stay below that threshold.
• Vitamin C - ascorbic acid promotes degradation. A formula that contains both glucoraphanin and a vitamin C dose high enough to act as an antioxidant will therefore lose glucoraphanin over shelf life, and the two are better kept in separate phases where possible.
• pH - glucoraphanin is sensitive to pH and is not well suited to strongly acidic products. This constrains its use in acid beverages and in systems where an acidulant is present at high level.
These four points are the reason a glucoraphanin specification sheet should state the recommended storage conditions explicitly, and why shelf-life data generated in one matrix does not transfer reliably to another.
Quality Documentation
Manufacturing is carried out under ISO9001, ISO22000, FSSC22000, HACCP, cGMP and FAMI-QS management systems, and the product range is certified for HALAL, KOSHER, NOP and EOS (organic) where applicable. Each batch is released against a batch-specific Certificate of Analysis, and MSDS and specification sheets are available on request.
Related products
See the broccoli extract sulforaphane powder, the glucoraphanin-standardised broccoli extract and broccoli extract 10:1, or read the broccoli extract FAQ for the full product-line comparison.
Samples and Enquiries
Evaluation samples are available for qualified enquiries. For specifications, documentation or a quotation, contact our sales team at liu@wellgreenxa.com.
This page describes an industrial botanical ingredient for business-to-business use. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and is not intended for direct consumer use.
