1. I had two wake-up calls on scale this week. The first started with A follow-on study to 3-day-old broccoli sprouts have the optimal yields that found:

“Activity of free MYR [myrosinase enzyme] was the highest at pH 5.0, and it decreased rapidly when pH was less or higher.”

Bought a pH meter and ReaLemon to adjust water pH when immersing broccoli sprouts for microwaving.

It turns out that only 3 drops of pH 3.5 ReaLemon is needed to change 100 ml of pH 7.0 filtered water to pH 5. A 100-fold pH change with a ReaLemon amount too small for my scale to measure.

The second came from Broccoli sprouts activate the AMPK pathway translating mouse experimental time frames to humans. One effect wasn’t realized after an equivalent 10 human years, and required another 12 human-equivalent years to manifest.

Patience with broccoli sprout efforts may stretch way past what I’ve imagined so far. 42 wasn’t the answer:

Thanks for all the fish!

n’t: A reader pointed out that the sulforaphane effect requiring another 12 human-equivalent years to manifest occurred in human-equivalent 42-year-olds. So 42 was the answer – in years, not weeks.

2. I finished the 3-lb. bag of Avena sativa oats used in Sprouting hulled oats after starting 20 gram batches twice a day. Amazon said that Montana farmer’s products were “Currently unavailable. We don’t know when or if this item will be back in stock.” I went to their website and emailed an inquiry.

Turns out it’s Amazon’s problem in restocking pallets that are already received! I placed an order directly with the farmer.

In the meantime, I’m trying another oat species, Avena nuda, from an Illinois farmer. I’ll reuse Degree of oat sprouting as the model, since it was also an Avena nuda oat variety. Results posted in Sprouting hulless oats.

I’ve had a 97% germination rate with these Avena sativa hulled oats. Too bad for vendors who:

• Appear to sell substantially the same Avena sativa hulled oats I’ve sprouted, but put a ‘Not for sprouting’ disclaimer in product descriptions without explaining exactly why their product can’t be sprouted; and
• Are clueless about what they sell, writing silliness like “Our Organic Gluten Free Oat Groats can not be sprouted due to the hull being removed.”

3. The first link of Item 1 above was also the blog post I made better this week after reader feedback. I included an important point previously excluded:

“Sulforaphane was extremely unstable during storage and it was best to enzymatically convert to sulforaphane before oral intake.”

I also modified analysis of this graph:

I thought about adjusting microwave practices for 3-day-old broccoli sprouts from ≤ 60°C to 55°C (131°F) in consideration of both the ESP and the 55-to-65°C decline in myrosinase activity.

But myrosinase activity at unmeasured 60°C isn’t at the graph’s straight line drawn between measured 55°C and 65°C. A substantial decline begins after 60°C, not after 55°C as drawn.

Consider this graphic from Enhancing sulforaphane content:

Myrosinase robustly hydrolyzes glucoraphanin into sulforaphane at 60°C. There’s clearly a myrosinase deactivation cliff between 60°C and 65°C. Go up to the cliff edge if you must, but don’t go further.