104(4)_str43

ISSN 1392-3196 / e-ISSN 2335-8947
Zemdirbyste-Agriculture, vol. 104, No. 4 (2017), p. 337–344
DOI  10.13080/z-a.2017.104.043

The effect of stinging nettle and field horsetail extracts on the synthesis of biologically active compounds in germinated leguminous and quinoa seed

Honorata DANILČENKO, Zenonas DABKEVIČIUS, Elvyra JARIENĖ, Živilė TARASEVIČIENĖ,
Dalė TELEVIČIŪTĖ, Alfonsas TAMOŠIŪNAS, Maria JEZNACH

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of aqueous extracts of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.) and field horsetail (Equisetum arvense L.) plants on the synthesis of compounds with antioxidant properties in germinating seeds. The seeds of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), dining lentil (Lens culinaris L.), mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) and quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) were germinated for 72 hours. Germinating seeds were imbibed and daily soaked in aqueous stinging nettle and field horsetail plant extracts.

We studied the influence of elicitation on the amount of dry matter, anthocyanins, leucoanthocyanins and catechins as well as vitamin C, P and antioxidant activity in germinated seeds.

During germination, 34.21% more intense synthesis of anthocyanins occurred in quinoa seeds treated with stinging nettle extract solutions compared with those treated with water only. Under the influence of extracts, the content of vitamin C significantly increased only in lentils, treated with stinging nettle extract by 40.65 mg 100 g-1 fresh weight (FW) and field horsetail extract by 42.48 mg 100 g-1 FW, while in mung beans the increase was noticed after treatment with field horsetail extract (by 62.4 mg 100 g-1). Plant extract solutions did not have statistically significant impact on vitamin P (rutin) accumulation in germinated seeds. However, a trend towards P increase was observed in all germinated seeds, except for alfalfa. Germinated alfalfa seeds and mung beans were characterized by the highest antioxidant activity.

Key words: antioxidant activity, antioxidant compounds, seeds, solutions.

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