Profile of chlorophylls and carotenoids of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) microgreens

Abstract

The use of cereal microgreens is increasing because of increased consumer's interest in healthier products. Chlorophyll (Chl) and Carotenoids (Car) are suggested to correlate with health promoting components like phenolics and antioxidant potential of the plant-part. They also play role against clinical conditions like thalassemia and hemolytic anemia and reduce the risk of some chronic diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, skin diseases and age-related eye diseases. This study was carried out for the comprehensive profiling of Chl and Car in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) micro-greens between 7 and 16 days on dry basis. Chl and Car content strongly correlated with the number of days of growth. Significantly high correlations existed among Chl a, Chl b, total Chl and total Car with concomitant Chl a/b and Chl/Car ratios. The peaks for the rate of accumulation of pigments were between 7-10 days on wheat and 10-13 days on barley. The maximum content of Chl and Car were 616.63 ± 18.45 mg/100 g DM and 54.80 ± 1.72 mg/100 g DM on day 16 and statistically not significant to variety of grain. The Chl level was slightly lower than Chl rich vegetables like kale and comparable to spinach and Car level was comparable to carrots, which is higher than most of the daily consumable fruits and vegetables. Further cell-based or in vivo studies of cereal microgreens could be considered to draw more valuable information related to human health.

Microgreen nutrition, food safety, and shelf life: A review

“…Niroula et al. () found that carotenoid content increased in wheat and barley microgreens over the course of the 16‐day growth period studied. The rate of accumulation slowed between 7 and 10 days in wheat and between 10 and 13 days in barley, but maximum values were obtained on the last harvesting day.…”

Phytochemical Constituents and Antioxidant Enzyme Activity Profiles of Different Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.) Cultivars at Different Developmental Stages

“…However, it is now being increasingly considered to possess high nutritional value and antioxidant properties and thus, draws increasing attention due to the health benefits associated with it [1]. Indeed, barley grass is currently considered a health product, as many studies have demonstrated its potential in treating human chronic diseases [2][3][4][5].…”

“…Proteins have a major role in the growth and maintenance of the human body, and barley grass contains 20 amino acids involved in energy production, and cell building and regeneration [3]. Furthermore, barley grass is rich in pigments, which mainly include chlorophyll (Chl) and carotenoids (Car) [2]. The Chl t content in barley grass is sufficiently high to exert potential health benefits in humans; thus, a daily intake of 100-300 mg of Chl t has been demonstrated to be beneficial for the treatment of various diseases in humans, including cancer [2].…”

“…Furthermore, barley grass is rich in pigments, which mainly include chlorophyll (Chl) and carotenoids (Car) [2]. The Chl t content in barley grass is sufficiently high to exert potential health benefits in humans; thus, a daily intake of 100-300 mg of Chl t has been demonstrated to be beneficial for the treatment of various diseases in humans, including cancer [2]. Pigments are reportedly associated with health-promoting effects, such as antioxidant potential [2].…”

“…The Chl t content in barley grass is sufficiently high to exert potential health benefits in humans; thus, a daily intake of 100-300 mg of Chl t has been demonstrated to be beneficial for the treatment of various diseases in humans, including cancer [2]. Pigments are reportedly associated with health-promoting effects, such as antioxidant potential [2]. Significant positive correlations between total Chl t and Car content and total phenolics, and between total phenolics and antioxidant potential have also been reported [2,[6][7][8].…”