Seed Meal Constituents, Oxazolidinethiones and Volatile Isothiocyanates in Enzyme-Treated Seed Meals from 65 Species of Cruciferae

Information is unavailable concerning the amounts and types of isothiocyanate-yielding glucosides in many species of Cruciferae seeds. Because such compounds have nutritional significance, a number of unreported species were investigated. Information about the parent thioglucosides was obtained by estimation of the oxazolidinethione and steam-volatile isothiocyanate contents of enzymatic hydrolyzates of the seed meals. Significant amounts of oxazolidinethione were found in hydrolyzates from 11 species not previously known to contain such glucosidic precursors. Oxazolidinethione (calculated as vinyl oxazolidinethione) measurements ranged from 0 to 19.3 mg. per gram of pentane- hexane-extracted meal. Total volatile isothiocyanate measurements (calculated as butenyl isothiocyanate) ranged from 0 to 2 1.6 mg. per gram of pentane-hexane-ex- tracted seed meal. Probable identification of the predominant volatile isothiocyanates produced in some of the hydrolyzates was obtained by paper chromatography of their thiourea derivatives.