The Development of a Tomato-Soy-Arugula Seed Beverage for Prostate Cancer Clinical Trial

Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (FAES): 2nd Place (The Ohio State University Edward F. Hayes Graduate Research Forum)The relationship between tomato, soy, and cruciferous vegetables with lower risk of prostate cancer has been investigated in several prospective epidemiological studies. It is hypothesized that the combination of these foods reduces the risk of prostate cancer to a greater extent than any single food alone. Cruciferous vegetables such as arugula are rich in a group of compounds called glucosinolates. Upon chewing or tearing of the plant, the endogenous plant enzyme myrosinase is released and hydrolyzes the glucosinolates to isothiocyanates (ITCs). ITCs are bioactive, and have been shown to be chemoprotective in animal and human studies. However, ITCs are not stable in processed food products, and to deliver high levels of ITCs in a food product, they must be converted from glucosinolates immediately before consumption. The purpose of this study is to develop a tomato-soy-arugula seed beverage with optimized delivery of ITCs. The ITCs erucin and sulforaphane were quantified in the tomato-soy-arugula seed beverage under different temperatures, hydrolysis times, pHs, and food matrixes on a C18 column with an optimized HPLC analytical method. By optimizing the time, temperature, matrixes and pH conditions of the tomato-soy-arugula seed beverage, we were able to recover 57% erucin and (67mmol/kg) and 76% sulforaphane (16.4mmol/kg) compared to the control (water). In conclusion, the tomato-soy-arugula seed beverage delivered sufficient doses of ITCs and can be used in future prostate cancer clinical trials.A three-year embargo was granted for this item