Unlocking the Potential of Celery (Apium graveolens L.) Seeds: How Gamma Radiation Affects Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant Activity, and Lipid Peroxidation

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Objectives: This study aims to enhance the potential health benefits and culinary applications of celery seeds ( Apium graveolens L.) by investigating the effects of gamma radiation on their bioactive compound contents, antioxidant properties, and lipid oxidation. Methods: Celery seeds was exposed to gamma irradiation at doses 0, 2, 4, 8, and 16 kGy at a rate of 1.9 kGy/hour. The evaluation included measuring the levels of bioactive compounds, phenolics, flavonoids, and tannins, as well as assessing antioxidant activity, (radical inhibition % - DPPH), lipid peroxidation and lower power activity. Data was evaluated statistically to find changes at a significance level of P < .05. Results: The data illustrated the impact of Gamma irradiation on the phenol content, total flavonoids, and tannins in celery seeds powder at different dosage levels. Irradiation increased phenolic content from 8.43 mg/g in non-irradiated sample to 14.19 mg/g at (8 kGy), then decreased to 9.01 mg/g at (16 kGy). Also, the flavonoid content showed significant increase from 4.52 mg/g in non-irradiated sample to 6.26 mg/g at (8 kGy), while decreased to 5.89 mg/g at (16 kGy). Conversely, tannin content decreased continuously from 2.30 mg/g in non-irradiated sample to 1.58 mg/g when irradiated at (16 kGy). The DPPH activity was enhanced by irradiation at doses of 2, 4, 8, and 16 kGy, resulting in percentages of 75.81, 78.48, 84.14, and 86.84% respectively. The amount of lipid peroxidation was significantly affected by irradiation when compared to non-irradiated seeds (4.74 µmol/g). There was a statistically significant increase ( P ≤ .05) with observed values of 5.72, 6.51, 8.73, and 11.03 µmol/g respectively. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the significant impact of gamma radiation to enhance the bioactive compound contents in celery seeds, leading to improved antioxidant properties. It also emphasizes the attentive consideration of the irradiation levels to optimize health benefits while minimizing adverse effects.