Abstract
The word broccoli comes from the Italian broccolo, the diminuitive of brocco, meaning shoot, stalk. Broccoli possesses abundant fleshy flower heads, usually green in color, arranged in a tree-like fashion on branches sprouting from a thick, edible stalk (Gray, A. R., 1982) Broccoli is high in vitamin C, calcium and soluble fiber and contains multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties including diindolylmethane and selenium. The 3,3'-Diindolylmethane found in broccoli is a potent modulator of the innate immune response system with anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-cancer activity. Broccoli also contains the compound glucoraphanin, which can be processed into an anticancer compound sulforaphane, though the benefits of broccoli are greatly reduced if the vegetable is boiled more than ten minutes. A high intake of broccoli has been found to reduce the risk of aggressive prostate cancer (Kirsh, V. A, and col., 2007) Broccoli leaf is also edible and contains far more betacarotene than the inflorescence. Broccoli is a cool-weather crop that does poorly in hot summer weather. Broccoli grows best when exposed to an average daily temperature between 18-23 Celsius degrees.
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