Broccoli Plant Identity & Part Used
The botanical entity is Brassica oleracea var. italica Plenck, the cultivated broccoli of the cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The part used is whole plant material, which distinguishes it from the seed used in the seed extract. Roots and mature seed are not added to this broccoli extract.
The same species yields cabbage, kale, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts as other varieties, so the variety name italica matters in a specification. Broccoli material carries glucosinolates such as glucoraphanin, and the enzyme myrosinase, which converts them into isothiocyanates only when plant tissue is damaged in the presence of water. Heat during drying and extraction changes how much of that enzyme remains active.












