Daikon Sprouts

ISHS Acta Horticulturae 765: XXVII International Horticultural Congress – IHC2006: International Symposium on Plants as Food and Medicine: The Utilization and Development of Horticultural Plants for Human Health. T.J. O’Hare, L.S. Wong, L.E. Force, C.B. Gurung, D.E. Irving, D.J. Williams

Daikon and radish sprouts contain high levels of glucoraphenin, a glucosinolate which hydrolyses to form sulphoraphene. Sulphoraphene, like sulphoraphane from broccoli, is a potent inducer of phase 2 detoxification enzymes and consequently has potential anti-cancer action. Unlike broccoli however, daikon and radish do not possess epithiospecifier protein, a protein that inhibits conversion of glucosinolates to isothiocyanates, and consequently they may represent more suitable sources of phytochemicals with anti-cancer potential. Concentrations of glucoraphenin were highest in the seed, declining exponentially with sprout development. The rate of decline was observed to vary considerably between varieties of daikon and radish, with some varieties maintaining significantly high levels of glucoraphenin. Varieties maintaining a high level of glucoraphenin included ‘Cherry Belle’ and ‘French Breakfast’.

A scientific paper was presented at the International Horticultural Congress in Seoul (Korea) in August 2006 entitled: “Glucosinolate Composition and Anti-Cancer Potential of Daikon and Radish sprouts”. A poster presentation was made at the 6th Annual Health and Medical Research Conference of Queensland.  (November, 2006).