Cabbage Kale – A New Functional Food Product: Growing Conditions and Regulation of the Phytochemical Composition

Abstract

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the specific effects of natural growth hormones (gibberellic acid, 10-6М and brassinolide, 10-6М) and commercial growth bio-stimulator (Novosil, 5 g/ha) on the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants activities of cabbage kale plants, under different growing conditions. The treatment of growth regulators was imposed by soaking cabbage kale plant seed in various growth regulators for 24 hours. The results were recorded at 85, 115 and 145 days after planting, at +80С, 00С and -60С temperature, respectively. Among the studied growth regulators, terpenoidal compounds of Novosil and gibberellic acid improved the antioxidant activity, activating enzymatic antioxidant systems and increasing the content of carotenoids and proline in leaves of cabbage kale. The steroidal compound of brassinolide raises the content of phenolic and flavonoids compounds which increased antioxidant activities. The results obtained from the study indicated that the use of growth regulars increases the synthesis of protective compounds, which developed resistance of cabbage kale plants against adverse environmental factors and improve the biomedical properties of cabbage kale. Further, the results of the study also suggested that freezing temperatures (-60С) enhanced the protective effect of growth regulators against lipid peroxidation and their antioxidant activity.