Synthesis of Phenolic Compounds in Barley Seedlings Under the Influence of the Microwave Electromagnetic Field of Ultrahigh Frequency

Abstract

Phenolic substances are involved in the processes of growth, morphogenesis, respiration and photosynthesis, are reserve and signaling substances, and have antioxidant properties. Spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) of variety Nikita was used in the experiments. In seven-day-old seedlings, phenolic substances were determined using reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography analysis (RP HPLC) with an amperometric detector. The maximum number of phenolic compounds is registered in the chloroform extract of the endosperm of the microwave-treated grain, their number is 26 names of substances. The minimum number of individual substances is 10-11 and is found in samples of roots and sprouts of native seedlings, as well as roots of microwave-irradiated barley plants. The microwave treatment affected both the number of isolated substances and their amount in the extract. The most biochemically active anatomical part of a seven-day-old barley seedling is the endosperm: it contains significantly more substances of a phenolic nature, recorded by an amperometric detector, than in sprouts and roots. The microwave field significantly affected the amount of phenolic compounds with antioxidant properties in the endosperm. In relation to phenolic substances in the composition of barley seedlings, there is an organ-specific response, which is expressed in the difference in their quantitative and qualitative content. Individual phenolic substances are registered in all the organs of the seedling (roots, leaves, endosperm), and some have a certain localization. The total amount of phenolic substances with antioxidant properties increases after microwave treatment.