Effect of Sprouting Temperature and Air Relative Humidity on Metabolic Profiles of Sprouting Black Gram (Vigna mungoL.)

Impact of temperature and humidity conditions as abiotic stressors on the phytochemical fingerprint of oat (Avena sativa L.) sprouts

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of temperature (20, 25, and 30 °C) and relative humidity (RH, 50, 55, and 60 %) as abiotic stressors during oat (Avena sativa L.) germination using a 2-level factorial design with central point. UPLC-QToF-MSE identified eighty polyphenols, nine avenanthramides, twelve lignans, and five phytosterols Notably, 100 % germination was achieved at 25 °C/60 % RH from day 3, yielding the longest radicle size. The highest content of most phenolic acids, avenanthramides, and lignans occurred at 30 °C/65 % RH, where 100 % germination was attained by day 5, but with a shorter radicle size. The best flavonoid and phytosterol profle was obtained at 20 °C/55 % RH, achieving only a 67 % germination rate. Therefore, while these conditions enhance the bioactive compound profile, the associate decrease in germination metrics suggests potential distress effects. Consideration of both photochemical outcomes and germination yield is crucial for comprehensive assessments in future applications.

Physicochemical Characteristics of Bambara Groundnut Speciality Malts and Extract

Speciality malts and their extracts have physicochemical characteristics such as colour, flavour, and aroma sorted for in food production. Speciality malts used in food production are mostly produced from cereal grains. Hence, this study aimed to produce speciality malts from Bambara groundnut (BGN) seeds and analyse their physicochemical characteristics and metabolites. The base, toasted, caramel, and roasted malt were produced by drying at different temperatures and times. Syrups were produced isothermally from the speciality malts. The speciality malts and syrups were assessed for colour, pH, protein, α and β-amylases, total polyphenols, antioxidants, and metabolite profiling. The BGN speciality malts were assayed for fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), hydrocarbons, sugar alcohols, sugars, acids, amino acids, and volatile components using capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection (GC-FID). The colours of the speciality malts and syrups were significantly (p = 0.000) different. The protein content of the BGN speciality malts was significantly different (p = 0.000), while the protein content of the syrups was not significantly different. The amylase activities of the BGN speciality malt decreased with the change in kilning temperatures and time. The α- and β-amylase activities for the specialty malts were 1.01, 0.21, 0.29, 0.15 CU/g and 0.11, 0.10, 0.10, 0.06 BU/g. The total polyphenols and antioxidant activities differed for all BGN speciality malts. There were twenty-nine volatiles detected in the BGN speciality malts. Fifteen amino acids consisted of seven essential amino acids, and eight non-essential amino acids were detected in the speciality malts. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) identified were palmitoleic, oleic, linolelaidic, linoleic, and arachidic acid. The sugars, organic acids, and sugar alcohols consisted of lactic acid, fructose, sucrose, and myo-inositol. The BGN speciality malts exhibited good physicochemical characteristics and metabolites that can make them useful as household and industrial ingredients for food production, which could be beneficial to consumers.

Low Temperatures Affect the Physiological Status and Phytochemical Content of Flat Leaf Kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) Sprouts

Consumption of plants in the juvenile stage becomes popular because sprouts are easy to grow, and they can be a tasty source of micro- and macro-nutrients and various phytochemicals. However, some environmental factors during sprout growth can affect their characteristics. In this article, we investigated how low temperatures during cultivation (8 °C) and additional exposure to freezing temperatures (−8 °C) affect the physiological status and phytochemical content of kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) sprouts compared to the control grown at 21 °C. We conducted five independent laboratory experiments and found that low temperature significantly increased proline content and decreased sprouts yield. In addition, low temperature caused a significant decrease in carotenoid and flavonoid content, while phenolic acid content and total glucosinolates content increased, but individual glucosinolates were differentially affected. Our results indicate that low temperatures affect the physiological status of kale sprouts and affect the content of phytochemicals.