Abstract
Zingiber officinale Roscoe. (Family Zingiberaceae) is well known in Asia. The plant is widely cultivated in village gardens in the tropics for its medicinal properties and as a marketable spice in Malaysia. Ginger varieties are rich in physiologically active phenolics and flavonoids with a range of pharmacological activities. Experiments were conducted to determine the feasibility of increasing levels of flavonoids (quercetin, rutin, catechin, epicatechin, kaempferol, naringenin, fisetin and morin) and phenolic acid (gallic acid, vanillic acid, ferulic acid, tannic acid, cinnamic acid and salicylic acid), and antioxidant activities in different parts of Malaysian young ginger varieties (Halia Bentong and Halia Bara) with CO2 enrichment in a controlled environment system. Both varieties showed an increase in phenolic compounds and flavonoids in response to CO2 enrichment from 400 to 800 µmol mol-1 CO2. These increases were greater in rhizomes compared to leaves. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) results showed that quercetin and gallic acid were the most abundant flavonoid and phenolic acid in Malaysian young ginger varieties. Under elevated CO2 conditions, kaempferol and fisetin were among the flavonoid compounds, and gallic acid and vanillic acid were among the phenolic compounds whose levels increased in both varieties. As CO2 concentration was increased from 400 to 800 µmol mol-1, free radical scavenging power (DPPH) increased about 30% in Halia Bentong and 21.4% in Halia Bara; and the rhizomes exhibited more enhanced free radical scavenging power, with 44.9% in Halia Bentong and 46.2% in Halia Bara. Leaves of both varieties also displayed good levels of flavonoid compounds and antioxidant activities. These results indicate that the yield and pharmaceutical quality of Malaysian young ginger varieties can be enhanced by controlled environment production and CO2 enrichment.
Highlights
The increase of atmospheric CO2 due to global climate change and/or horticultural practices has direct and indirect effects on secondary metabolite synthesis in plants [1]
The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of carbon dioxide enrichment on concentration of phenolics and flavonoids compound in extracts of young ginger (Zingiber officinale) varieties (Halia Bentong and Halia Bara), and to determine the antioxidant activity
The results of current study indicate that the synthesis of phenolics and flavonoids in ginger can be increased and affected by using CO2 enrichment in a controlled environment (CE)
Summary
The increase of atmospheric CO2 due to global climate change and/or horticultural practices has direct and indirect effects on secondary metabolite synthesis in plants [1]. The responses observed in different plants show a wide range of patterns, either in the structure of primary and secondary metabolites or in the biomass production. There is a keen interest in functional foods, which in some cases have shown little distinction between herbs and spices as a wide range of natural products are mostly produced from herbs or medicinal plants. They have been introduced to society as part of traditional cultural practices, and there are only very soft rules existing about their commercial regulation [5]
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