Effects of Irradiated Light Intensity on the Amount of Antioxidants and Antioxidative Capacity in Cruciferous Sprouts

Abstract

The effects of irradiated light intensity on the amount of antioxidants and antioxidative capacity in broccoli, mustard, kale and red cabbage sprouts were studied. Antioxidant concentrations were estimated by quantitating total polyphenol, flavonol and anthocyanin concentrations. Antioxidative capacity was evaluated by measuring DPPH radical absorbing capacity and superoxide scavenging ability. Polyphenol and flavonol concentrations were significantly increased in accordance with the light intensity. Antioxidative activity was also increased with light intensity. However, the lengths of sprout hypocotyls were decreased by strong light. These results indicate that the contents of polyphenol including flavonol are increased by strong light and consequently the antioxidative ability becomes stronger. These findings suggest that strong light irradiation should be useful for producing sprouts with higher antioxidative capacity.