Allyl cyanide is produced in cruciferous vegetables by myrosinase, an enzyme which hydrolyses glucosinolates to form nitriles and other products.H. Tanii et al. Allylnitrile: generation from cruciferous vegetables and behavioral effects on mice of repeated exposure / Food and Chemical Toxicology, 42, (2004), 453-458 Myrosinase is activated by l-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) under the influence of the pH,L.G. West et al. Allyl Isothiocyanate and Allyl Cyanide Production in Cell-Free Cabbage Leaf Extracts, Shredded Cabbage, and Cole Slaw / J. Agric. Food Chem. Vol. 25, No. 6, (1997), 1234-1238 and higher myrosinase activity has been shown in damaged cabbage leaves, while its activity is reduced by cooking the leaves, although the glucosinolates can then be transformed to allyl cyanide by microflora in the intestines.C. Krul et al. Metabolism of sinigrin (2-propenyl glucosinolate) by the human colonic microflora in a dynamic in vitro large-intestinal model / Carcinogenesis, Vol. 24, No. 6, (2002), 1009-1016
