Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activities of Four Edible Species During Seed Germination

Abstract

Dill (Anethum graveolens L.), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), holy basil (Ocimum sanctum L.) and Thai basil (Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora) are culinary and medicinal ingredients which contain high amounts of bioactive compounds that play important roles in oxidative stress. In this study we investigated changes in the amount of total phenolic compounds (TPC) and antioxidant activity of these plants during the process of germination. Germination had a statistically significant effect on the TPC content (P < 0.05) and antioxidant activities of the plants (P < 0.05). During germination there was a significant positive correlation between TPC content and antioxidant activity for the water and ethanol extracts. The optimum germination time to obtain the highest antioxidant values for these plants was between 3 and 9 days. Seedlings of these culinary and medicinal plants were found to be natural source of antioxidants, and could be used as natural food additives.