Thirty years ago, Paul Talalay, a pharmacologist at Johns Hopkins University, identified a substance in broccoli called sulforaphane. This compound is what turned broccoli into a superfood: sulforaphane strengthens the body’s natural defenses against cancer. Popular Mechanics included the discovery in its list of the greatest scientific discoveries of the 20th century.
Talalay’s discovery set off a wave of research into how food, and sulforaphane in particular, can help prevent disease. In the decades that followed, his colleagues carried on his work. They studied the sprouts of different crops, looking for compounds that could work against autism, cardiovascular disease, COVID, colds, cancer and other conditions. How harvest day and light affect glucoraphanin in broccoli microgreens is covered in our piece on sulforaphane in broccoli microgreens.
