History of development
In the early 1990s, Rudolf began cross-breeding various cabbage varieties in his horticultural business in Lower Saxony. The goal was to create a cabbage cross with the highest possible glucosinolate content. Through lengthy backcrosses, Brassica varieties with a high wild-type character were developed. Brassica No. 2 is a cross between broccoli x kale x Brussels sprouts.
The secret lies in the processing
Since sprouts have the highest content of glucosinolates, only the sprouts of this vegetable are used for the production of Lüttge Wild Cabbage. It is known that cabbage plants form glucosinolates to protect themselves from predators. For this reason, the sprouts are exposed to various stress scenarios such as light, movement, and drought stress to increase the glucosinolate content. They are then gently dried and ground.
About 3g of powder contains as much glucosinolate as 300-400g of raw broccoli. This amounts to 0.80-0.90mg of sulforaphane (subject to natural fluctuations).
Glucosinolates and Sulforaphane
Glucosinolates (mustard oils or mustard glycosides) are secondary plant compounds. They are mainly found in plants of the cruciferous family (Brassicaceae) and are responsible for the typical pungent, spicy taste. In the body, glucosinolates are converted into sulforaphane, among other things.
Since the glucosinolate content decreases with the growth and ripening of the plants, sprouts generally have the highest content. The content in wild forms can exceed the content in cultivated varieties by a factor of 1000. Cooking or heating cabbage vegetables leads to a significant loss of glucosinolates (35-60%), which is why the vegetables should be consumed raw if possible.
Our tip
Find out more about the ingredients of wild cabbage in specialist literature, from alternative practitioners, doctors or nutritionists; there is also a lot to be found on the internet. For example, glucosinolates and sulforaphane are little known - and nature has already come up with a lot. Important: pay attention to good sources.
