Move over alfalfa, there's a new sprout in town. Broccoli sprouts, introduced last year by Brassica Protection Products, Baltimore, MD, came about with the discovery of the health benefits of broccoli. In 1992 researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, began examining the potential health benefits of broccoli and specifically the compound sulforaphane glucosinolate or SGS. Leading the research team was Dr. Paul Talalay, Professor of Pharmacology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who teamed up with Plant Physiologist and Botanist Jed Fahey to make further discoveries.
To further explore SGS in broccoli and other plant foods, Dr. Talalay founded the Brassica Chemoprotection Laboratory. In 1997 Dr. Talalay and Mr. Fahey discovered that if you grew specific varieties of broccoli seeds for three days until they were small sprouts, they contained between 20 and 50 times the concentration of sulforaphane as cooked broccoli and in March 1998, Johns Hopkins was granted a patent for the product. This discovery led to a chain reaction that prompted a nationwide stir and a skyrocketing demand for sprouts. Further to these findings Brassica Protection Products LLC (BPP) was formed and the brand name "BroccoSprouts" was coined.

In the meantime Dr. Talalay's son, Tony Talalay, who is Chief Executive Officer of Brassica Protection Products, started studying the sprout industry. This research, coupled with over two decades of marketing and advertising experience in the food industry with companies such as Nestle, Frito-Lay, General Foods and Lipton, propelled Mr. Talalay's efforts to bring BroccoSprouts to the attention of the public.

The Talalay's constructed a joint venture with the Sholl Group II, Minneapolis, MN, which was given the exclusive rights to bring Johns Hopkins' patent for SGS-rich broccoli sprouts to the market. Together they formed the Brassica Sprout Group and distribution began immediately. The "Fresh Alternatives BroccoSprouts" made their debut in Chicago in 1998; today the sprouts are available in about 75% of the U.S. "We have gone to mainline supermarkets and specialty stores to emphasize that BroccoSprouts is a fresh vegetable and a great supplement to a healthy diet," said Mr. Talalay. The Brassica Sprout Group also markets a line of three broccoli sprout blends including "Salad Style," "Sandwich Style" and "Deli Style."

In assuring the nutritional quality of the sprouts for the consumer, all seeds are selected and tested to make certain that they contain a guaranteed amount of SGS. Mr. Talalay explained, "This is the first innovation in the sprout category in a long time and so far in the places where we get good distribution we have gotten a good response from the consumer." For the future Mr. Talalay realizes the potential to grow and hopes to broaden the focus of Brassica to include participation in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical markets by introducing patented SGS in supplement form. However, for now, the company's concentration weighs heavily on the fresh market. Mr. Talalay said, "The challenges of doing something this unique are great but I think we have a good product here."

-R.M.