From Functional Ingredients to Functional Foods: Focus on Brassicales Plant Species and Glucosinolates

The concept of functional nutrition has garnered mounting attention, primarily due to growing evidence that specific dietary components have the capacity to provide health benefits that extend beyond the mere supply of basic nutrients. In this context, glucosinolate-rich species of the Brassicales order are of importance as a source of bioactive compounds, which exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and chemoprotective properties. The review identifies which Brassicales species may be considered as functional foods or functional ingredients. It does so by starting from their glucosinolate profile, summarizing their potential applications in disease prevention, and highlighting current strategies aimed at enhancing glucosinolate levels through agronomic practices and processing approaches. The potential applications of the main species of the Brassicales order in the prevention of cardiovascular, obesity-related and degenerative diseases, as well as in the development of functional foods, are highlighted. These species are considered both as ready-to-use functional foods and as functional ingredients that can be obtained through extraction or fermentation processes, including the valorization of agricultural waste.