ANTINUTRITIONAL COMPOUNDS IN THE BRASSICACEAE - ANALYSIS, BIOSYNTHESIS, CHEMISTRY AND DIETARY-EFFECTS

The Brassicaceae (syn. Cruciferae) is an economically important botani cal family providing a diverse range of foliar, root and seed crops fo r both human and domesticated animal consumption. However, in common w ith other plant species the Brassicaceae have been endowed with the ca pacity to synthesize a range of antinutritional compounds, the most im portant of which are the glucosinolates, S-methylcysteine sulfoxide, t annins and erucic acid. In this review the adverse and possible benefi cial effects of the inclusion of these compounds in human and animal d iets are reviewed together with their chemistry, biosynthesis and meth ods for their analysis.