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).

Sproutman's Wheatgrass Grower

Brian, you could consider going to my competitor Easy Green, they make an auto watering unit for about $500. It’s good but I can’t support you on it. The only automatic watering system I have is the Freshlife 2000 Sprouter. However the yield would be smaller than my 3 tray Wheatgrass Grower. If you wanted to use the my Wheatgrass Grower, you could start the process as soon as you return from your trip.  The most critical period for growing Wheatgrass is the first 7 days.  You would need to stay around for this critical period, however you can experiment with the timing once you have grown a successful crop.

Freshlife Automatic Sprouter with Wheatgrass

QUESTION:

Mr Sproutman,

Thanks so very much for publishing Sprouts The Miracle Food.  I cannot put this book down…there is so much I want to do…so much to learn. I’m graduating from the JAR !!!!

I recently purchased products to grow soil “MicroGreens”. A lot more work & more difficult to maintain proper climate, PH, etc. What I need to know: Are the Hydroponic seeds I purchased able to be used in the “Fresh Life Sprouter”? You also suggest to hatch the garlic & onion seeds first & then transfer them to a 6″ sprouter.  What is a 6″sprouter & where do I get it if it is not the Fresh Life Sprouter?

Thank you for your assistance.

Martha 

ANSWER:

Dear Martha,

I am delighted to hear that you enjoy my book Sprouts The Miracle Food.  First I would need to know the name of the seeds you are trying to sprout.  Second, ideally you can hatch garlic and onion seeds in a Sprout Bag and then transfer them to the Freshlife Automatic Sprouter or the Freshlife Manual Hand Watering Sprouter.  The Freshlife Sprouter is the replacement for the 6″ Sprouter.  Pictured are garlic sprouts.

Sincerely,

Join Steve Meyerowitz, Sproutman® in this rare opportunity to get expert advice, solve problems and learn how to get beautiful salad greens in your Freshlife or other sprouter!  Get the secrets for growing great greens with less effort all year round!

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Dear Friends,

This is the press release created by the International Sprout Growers Association (ISGA) in response to the E-Coli outbreak in Germany. The ISGA is a collection of commercial sprout growers around the world. They make a sincere and thorough effort to test their product before it is released to produce stands and super markets The German company implicated in this outbreak is not a member of this trade organization. Although I am not a commercial grower of sprouts, I on the Board of Directors. This is a small trade association with meager resources to protect themselves from the media frenzy. I’ll have more on the outbreak and its repercussions later, but for now, here is their press release (the first in their history) response to the outbreak. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, no sprouts or sprouting seeds from Germany were exported beyond the neighboring countries.

The ISGA Reassures Consumers About Safety Practices and Encourages Continued Investigation

Warwick, RI (PRWEB) June 13, 2011

The recent outbreak of an extremely virulent strain of e-coli in Germany has brought a great deal of scrutiny to a variety of produce products, including cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and sprouts. The German Government announced that information from their investigation indicates sprouts as the likely source from a single farm in Northern Germany.

Although this outbreak is not associated with any of our members, the International Sprout Growers Association (ISGA) wants to reassure consumers that this appears to be a localized event and one that does not affect consumers worldwide. Since sprouts are locally grown and sold, rarely imported or exported, the likelihood of this spreading outside of Germany is very small.

The ISGA takes this outbreak and every outbreak of food borne diseases very seriously. Our sprout growers, suppliers and retail partners are vigilant about keeping our sprouts safe. Members of the International Sprout Growers Association are well trained in the production of safe sprouts, utilize some of the most stringent safety procedures in the food industry, and have sophisticated systems in place to minimize the likelihood of contamination.

The ISGA highly recommends that the investigations continue to find the definitive source of the German contamination. By so doing, we can all benefit and further the efforts to make sprouts and all other raw foods the safest they can be.

As the investigation continues, the ISGA recommends that consumers continue to enjoy the great health benefits, variety and taste of sprouts.

Consumers can learn more about sprouts and find more details on the health benefits and variety of sprouts, as well as great-tasting sprout recipes at http://www.isga-sprouts.org.

About the International Sprout Growers Association (ISGA)

The ISGA is an association of sprout growers, suppliers and educators. The goal of the ISGA is to promote information-sharing among its members in the areas of nutrition education, good growing practices, marketing, and recipe development.