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EVEC Microgreens
Enhancing the Growth, Bioactive Compounds, and Antioxidant Activity of Kangkong (Ipomoea aquatica Forssk.) Microgreens Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma
Enhancing the nutraceutical value of health-promoting foods is a strategy to mitigate non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which pose a global health threat.
Prapasiri Ongrak, Nopporn Poolyarat, Suebsak Suksaengpanomrung, Bhornchai Harakotr, Yaowapha Jirakiattikul, Panumart Rithichai
Resources · 2025 · https://doi.org/10.3390/resources14050072
Abstract
Enhancing the nutraceutical value of health-promoting foods is a strategy to mitigate non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which pose a global health threat. This study aimed to improve the growth, bioactive compound content, and antioxidant activity of kangkong (Ipomoea aquatica Forssk.) microgreens through the application of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma at different treatment durations. Seeds from two cultivars, Pugun 19 (PG) and Banhann (BH), were treated with DBD plasma for 5 to 20 min, compared to untreated seeds as the control. DBD plasma treatments had no significant effect on the dry weight of BH, whereas a 10 min treatment resulted in the highest dry weight in PG. Principal component analysis exhibited that treating PG seeds with 5 min of DBD plasma increased coumaric acid, total flavonoids, and DPPH and FRAP activities. Meanwhile, exposing BH seeds to 10 min DBD plasma treatment enhanced carotenoids content, as well as ABTS and antiglycation activities. Based on these results, the optimal time for DBD plasma treatment to improve the quality of kangkong microgreens was 5 min for PG and 10 min for BH. These findings indicate that DBD plasma treatment offers potential applications in sustainable agriculture and food biofortification.
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How to credit this work
Prapasiri Ongrak; Nopporn Poolyarat; Suebsak Suksaengpanomrung; Bhornchai Harakotr; Yaowapha Jirakiattikul; Panumart Rithichai (2025). Enhancing the Growth, Bioactive Compounds, and Antioxidant Activity of Kangkong (Ipomoea aquatica Forssk.) Microgreens Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma. Resources. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources14050072 Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Hosted by EVEC Athens (microgreens.org.gr). No changes were made to this article. Provided as-is, without warranties. EVEC Athens is not affiliated with, and this copy is not endorsed by, the authors or the publisher.
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