Nootropics Depot has launched a new powdered sulforaphane supplement that is designed to convert glucoraphanin (a compound found in cruciferous vegetables) into active sulforaphane before being consumed.
The Arizona-based company said it developed the formulation to address challenges with conventional sulforaphane supplements, where stomach acid can affect the conversion of glucoraphanin to sulforaphane.
Taking the guesswork out of sulforaphane conversion
Sulforaphane is unstable, so supplements typically use its more stable precursor, glucoraphanin, alongside myrosinase, the enzyme that converts it into sulforaphane.
According to Nootropics Depot, its own dissolution testing using simulated gastric fluid found that myrosinase is largely inactivated under acidic conditions, potentially limiting conversion after a capsule is swallowed.
“Nearly every sulforaphane supplement on the market is built the same way: glucoraphanin packaged in a capsule with myrosinase, with the expectation that conversion happens after you swallow,” a Nootropics Depot spokesperson said.
The problem is chemistry. Myrosinase is highly pH-sensitive, which means it gets destroyed in stomach acid.
The company said it tested competing capsule products using simulated digestion, including simulated gastric and intestinal fluids and found that little sulforaphane was produced.
Conversion was better under fed-state conditions but remained inefficient, it added.
Instead, SulfoMax converts it before consumption — the powder is mixed with water and left for five minutes, allowing the formulation's myrosinase to convert glucoraphanin into sulforaphane before consumption.
“SulfoMax moves that conversion outside the body,” the spokesperson said.
“It is a pH-buffered powder: stir a scoop into water, wait five minutes and the myrosinase converts glucoraphanin into active sulforaphane in the glass.”
The formulation contains 360 mg of black kale extract, standardised to 17% glucoraphanin, alongside 240 mg of white mustard seed powder as a source of myrosinase.
Potassium bicarbonate is used to create a pH range intended to support enzyme activity, while the product also includes vitamin C and an acacia fibre base.
Nootropics Depot said that UPLC testing confirmed that the resulting sulforaphane remained stable in simulated gastric fluid at pH 1.2 and pH 3.
The company said SulfoMax delivers 27 mg of active sulforaphane per serving — which it claims is the "highest level currently available in the category."
It also added that it measured its formulations at its sister laboratory, Omnient Lab, rather than calculating sulforaphane levels solely from precursor content.
"Once you have seen myrosinase quit in stomach acid enough times, the answer is obvious: do the chemistry in a glass of water, where we control the pH, then verify the result on the UPLC," said Paul Eftang, CEO of Nootropics Depot.
“Active sulforaphane itself is acid-stable, so the finished compound is what you drink,” the spokesperson added.
You can control the chemistry of a glass of water a lot better than the variability of the stomach and GI tract.
The company said UPLC analysis of the finished formulation enables it to quantify the amount of active sulforaphane delivered per serving, rather than estimating levels based solely on glucoraphanin content.
Unlocking sulforaphane’s potential
Sulforaphane has attracted interest in the healthy ageing and nutraceutical sectors because of research into its effects on the Nrf2 pathway, which is involved in the body's cellular defence mechanisms.
In vitro research suggests it can serve as a supportive therapy alongside anti-tumour drugs and chemotherapy.
For formulators, the launch highlights the challenges of delivering unstable botanical actives and the potential role of controlled, pre-consumption conversion in improving the consistency of active compound delivery.
