The Brassicaceae family is a highly diverse group of plants with numerous varieties among its species. Each individual has adapted to the enivronment with the help of specific chemical compounds - plant specialized metabolites, whose fluctuations ensure the survival under adverse stress conditions. The most reasearched metabolites inherent to the Brassicaceae family are glucosinolates. During exposure to either elevated salt concentrations or drought, glucosinolates in white cabbage increase rapidly. Greater salinity affects positively the concentration of chlorophylls a and b in Savoy cabbage as opposed to decreased amount of xanthophylls and carotenes under those conditions. Brussel sprouts response to the drought by increasing the concentration of several glucosinolates as well as stable carbon isotope 13C. Greater insolation, decreased water level and nitrogen supplementation increased the concentration of glucosinolates in broccoli. Vitamins C and E, carotenoids and the flavonoid kaempferol are excellent indicators of environmental stress in broccoli. Cauliflower increases the concentrations of glucosinolates and carotenoids in period of drought. Higher insolation and salinity induces the production of indolic glucosinolates in radish. Turnip tolerates higher temperatures and droughts stress due to increased amount of glucosinolates, but they rapidly decrease when the exposure to light is insufficient. These data indicate that cruciferous vegetables are extremely adaptive to abiotic stresses, which leads to conclusion that by applying the right exogenous factors, it could be possible to manipulate the concentration of their bioactive compounds.