Formation of the Composition of Biologically Active Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Cereal Microgreens when Grown on Hydrogel

Background. Cereal microgreens are becoming increasingly popular due to the content of biologically active compounds. It is most effective to use freshly cut microgreen sprouts in your diet. Storage and transportation of microgreens leads to a decrease in their quality and loss of biologically active compounds. You can use the hydrogel to grow microgreens in the food industry and at home. The easiest way to grow microgreens is to select a substrate and grow them indoors. The use of industrially produced hydrogel as a substrate allows seeds to have free access to water without regular watering, which can lead to more efficient plant growth and the synthesis of biologically active compounds in them. Currently, hydrogel is not used for growing cereal microgreens.

Purpose.The purpose is to study the possibility of growing cereal grains on a hydrogel using the example of wheat, barley, oats to obtain microgreens as a source of biologically active compounds and antioxidants.

Materials and methods. To obtain microgreens, grains of wheat, barley, and oats were used, which were grown on a hydrogel for 10 days with daily measurement of the height of the sprouts. The amount of chlorophylls, carotenoids, flavonoids, vitamin C, and antioxidant activity in microgreens was determined by FRAP and coulometric titration on the 5th, 7th, and 9th days of growth.

Results. Microgreens reached an optimal height of 9-13 cm on the 7th day of cultivation on a hydrogel. During the growth of microgreens, the synthesis of biologically active compounds occurred in different ways. The content of chlorophylls and carotenoids increased during the entire period of growth, intensifying on the 9th day. Chlorophyll predominated in wheat microgreens, carotenoids dominated in oat microgreens at all stages of growth. The content of flavonoids increased during the growth of microgreens, but on the 9th day the rate of their synthesis slowed down. During the entire period of growth, the content of flavonoids prevailed in barley. The amount of vitamin C in microgreens increased only up to the 7th day of growth, and then sharply decreased to the values of 5-day-old sprouts and below. Vitamin C was predominant in oat microgreens. All types of microgreens had antioxidant activity, the maximum values of which were recorded on the 7th day of growth.

Conclusions. Growing cereal crops on a hydrogel allows you to get microgreens of optimal height with maximum antioxidant activity on the 7th day.

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