Influence of Temperature Conditions during Growth on Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Potential of Wheat and Barley Grasses.

Mohammad Zahirul Islam,Young-Tack Lee,Buem-Jun Park

doi:10.3390/foods10112742

Abstract

Wheat and barley grasses are freshly sprouted leaves of wheat and barley seeds, and are rich sources of phytochemicals. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of day and night temperatures on the growth, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant potential of wheat and barley grasses. Briefly, each grass was cropped in an organic growing medium at 10/5 °C, 20/15 °C, and 30/25 °C (day/night temperature) in a growth chamber by maintaining specific light (12/12 h light/dark; light intensity 150 µmol photons m−2 s−1) and humidity (60%) conditions for 8 days. The highest growth parameters (height, weight, and yield) were observed at the 20/15 °C growth conditions in both types of grass. Conversely, the lowest growth parameters were observed at 10/5 °C. However, the low growth temperature of 10/5 °C resulted in increased levels of bioactive compounds (total phenol, total flavonoid, and total vitamin C), antioxidant activities (2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid and 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging activity)), and antioxidant enzymes (guaiacol peroxidase activity, catalase activity, and glutathione reductase) in both types of grass. Therefore, proper temperature growth conditions of wheat and barley grasses may be a convenient and efficient method to increase bioactive compounds and antioxidant potential in our diet to exploit the related health benefits.

Highlights

95% and 93%, respectively, at 20/15 ◦ C, whereas the 10/5 ◦ C and 30/25 ◦ C growth temperature conditions hampered the germination rate
The 10/5 ◦ C and 30/25 ◦ C growth temperatures resulted in a lower height, weight, and yield, which may be because of a decrease in photosynthesis in the plant
The results show that the antioxidant enzyme contents, especially peroxidase activity (POD), catalase activity (CAT), and glutathione reductase (GR), were higher in the extracts grown at 10/5 ◦ C than those grown at 20/15 ◦ C

Summary

Introduction

Germination and plant growth are generally influenced by various growth factors, including temperature, time, duration, humidity, light intensity, light wavelength, darkness, carbon dioxide, treatment, ozone, and water supply [1,2,3]. These factors vary according to the growth environment, such as a glasshouse, open field, and hydroponic culture. Sprout growth primarily depends on hydroponic and atmospheric conditions, which include water and atmospheric temperature, atmospheric humidity, atmospheric light intensity, atmospheric light wavelength, night darkness, water pH, and day-night light ratio [2,8,9,10]

Methods

Results

Conclusion