Sorting out the Value of Cruciferous Sprouts as Sources of Bioactive Compounds for Nutrition and Health

Edible sprouts with germinating seeds of a few days of age are naturally rich in nutrients and other bioactive compounds. Among them, the cruciferous (Brassicaceae) sprouts stand out due to their high contents of glucosinolates (GLSs) and phenolic compounds. In order to obtain sprouts enriched in these phytochemicals, elicitation is being increasing used as a sustainable practice. Besides, the evidence regarding the bioavailability and the biological activity of these compounds after their dietary intake has also attracted growing interest in recent years, supporting the intake of the natural food instead of enriched ingredients or extracts. Also, there is a growing interest regarding their uses, consumption, and applications for health and wellbeing, in different industrial sectors. In this context, the present review aims to compile and update the available knowledge on the fundamental aspects of production, enrichment in composition, and the benefits upon consumption of diverse edible cruciferous sprouts, which are sources of phenolic compounds and glucosinolates, as well as the evidence on their biological actions in diverse pathophysiological situations and the molecular pathways involved.
This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of the Spanish Government through Research Projects, AGL2013-46247-P, the Grant for Research Groups of Excellence from the Murcia Regional Agency for Science and Technology (Fundación Séneca), Project 19900/GERM/15 and a Private Contract with INBAUTEK SL enterprise, RDP was funded by a postdoctoral contract “Juan de la Cierva de Incorporación” (#ICJI-2015-25373) from the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness of Spain, and A.A by INBAUTEK SL enterprise.
We acknowledge support by the CSIC Open Access Publication Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI)