Dados do Trabalho

Título

IMPACT OF ULTRASONIC PULSES ON HYDRATION AND ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT ON THE GERMINATION OF SUNFLOWER SEEDS (Helianthus annuus): EFFECT ON THE BIOLOGICAL AND TECHNO-FUNCTIONAL QUALITY OF THE FLOUR

Introdução

Sunflower seeds have the potential for use in human food, and bioprocessing techniques, such as germination, can be used to improve their nutritional and functional quality. However, this process is long and costly. To overcome these challenges, emerging technologies such as ultrasound (US) and ultraviolet light (UV) can enhance the hydration and germination process to improve the properties of these seeds and obtain clean-label quality ingredients.

Material e Métodos

This work evaluated for the first time the kinetics of US-assisted hydration (0 to 3 intermittent cycles of 10min at 38W/L/ 25kHz/ 25°C) of sunflower seeds and the influence of UV light (cycles of 4h every 12h of germination) during 48h of germination, as well as the effects on the biological and functional quality of the flours.

Resultados e Discussão

The results showed that the Peleg and Miano-Ibarz-Augusto models presented an excellent fit to the data (R2 ≥0.98), with it being observed that the greater the number of sonication cycles, the shorter the time required for hydration (reduction of up to 54.2%) of the seeds, which positively impacted germination (increase of up to 18% and 61% in rootlet length in the absence and presence of UV light, respectively) (p<0.05). Regarding the quality of the flour after germination, the sonicated samples, especially those subjected to 1 cycle of US, showed an increase of up to 227%, 233%, and 60% in the concentration of reducing sugars, soluble proteins, and phenolic compounds compared to the non-germinated sample, respectively (p<0.05). In addition, the sample sonicated by 1 cycle and germinated in the presence of UV light showed an increase of up to 71 times in the concentration of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and up to 15% in antioxidant activity measured by ORAC compared to the non-germinated sample.

Conclusão

Therefore, these results elucidate that, under specific conditions, intermittent ultrasound-assisted hydration, especially by 1 cycle of sonication, as well as germination in the presence of UV light, have great potential to optimize the germination of sunflower seeds and provide a flour with better multifunctional quality.