The thermal breakdown of glucobrassicin, the major natural indole glucosinolate present in cruciferousvegetables, has been studied. This study has been conducted using pure synthetic glucobrassicininstead of raw vegetable material to eliminate possible other sources (i.e., enzymatic or chemical) ofdegradation. After 1 h in aqueous solution at 100
C, 10% of the original glucobrassicin is degradedand yields a unique degradation compound. This compound is described for the first time and hasbeen identified as 2-(3'-indolylmethyl)glucobrassicin on the basis of data obtained by
1H nuclearmagnetic resonance spectroscopy as well as tandem mass spectrometric experiments carried outfrom positive and negative electrospray produced ions.Keywords: Glucosinolates; glucobrassicin; indole derivatives; indole condensation product; anticarcinogenic substances; thermal breakdown, structure elucidation