Salinity Induced Abiotic Stress Enhances Nutritional Value of Vigna radiata Sprouts

Background: Incorporating edible sprouts into the diet offers a wealth of nutritional benefits for both humans and animals. They are rich in proteins, vitamins, minerals and enzymes, making them a valuable addition to diets. Exogenous pre-harvest treatment can modify the biological activity and metabolite synthesis of sprouts, enhancing their nutritional and functional properties. Methods: We aimed to determine the effect of different concentrations of NaCl (50 and 200 mM) on Vigna radiata sprout growth and health-promoting properties. 24, 48 and 72 h germinated sprouts were treated with NaCl (50 and 200 mM) for 1h incubated till 96h and were harvested for nutritional analysis. Result: Both sodium chloride treatments to 48 h germinated seeds showed significant increase in protein, sulphur, phenolic and flavonoid content in vitamin C compared to control. While both sodium chloride treatments to 72 h germinated seeds showed significant increase in sulphur, free radical scavenging activity, phenolic and flavonoid content and vitamin C compared to control. The results revealed that NaCl treatment resulted in sprouts with improved nutritional value without disturbing their yield.