Effective methods for increasing coumestrol in soybean sprouts.

Tomoe Ohta,Takuhiro Uto,Hiromitsu Tanaka,Abhijit Dey

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0260147

Abstract

Coumestrol (CM), a biologically active compound found in Leguminosae plants, provides various human health benefits. To identify easy and effective methods to increase CM content in vegetables, we developed a quantitative analysis method using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Using this method, we found that soybean sprouts (1.76 ± 0.13 μg/g) have high CM contents among nine vegetables and evaluated the difference in CM contents between two organs of the sprouts: cotyledons and hypocotyls. Next, soybean sprouts were cultivated under different light, temperature, and water conditions and their CM contents were evaluated. CM content was higher in hypocotyls (4.11 ± 0.04 μg/g) than in cotyledons. Cultivating soybean sprouts at 24°C enhanced CM content regardless of light conditions, the growth of fungi and bacteria, and sprout color. Thus, we identified methods of soybean sprout cultivation to increase CM content, which may provide health benefits and enhance value.

Highlights

Coumestrol (CM, Fig 1), a phytochemical in the class of coumestans, is a biologically active molecule
We found that soybean sprouts (1.76 ± 0.13 μg/g) have high CM contents among nine vegetables and evaluated the difference in CM contents between two organs of the sprouts: cotyledons and hypocotyls
One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Dunnett’s test was used to compare the group heated in MeOH for 1 h versus the other groups

Summary

Introduction

Coumestrol (CM, Fig 1), a phytochemical in the class of coumestans, is a biologically active molecule. Among the vegetables on the market in Japan, CM has been identified in soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merrill, seeds), soybean sprouts (G. max (L.) Merrill, sprouts), broccoli sprouts Gemmifera de Candolle, sprouts), and pea sprouts (Pisum sativum Linnaeus, sprouts) [4,5,6,7]. CM’s biological activity may provide human health benefits through anticancer [8], anti-inflammatory [9], anti-Alzheimer’s disease [10] and anti-obesity [11,12] effects, as well as by inhibition of bone resorption [13]. CM has been found to inhibit acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase activity with IC50 values of 42.33 and 24.64 μM, respectively [10]

Objectives

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Conclusion