Effects of combined treatment of light quality and melatonin on health-promoting compounds in Chinese kale sprouts

• Published in: Food science & technology 2024-05, Vol.199, p.116137, Article 116137
• Main Authors: Zhou, Aolian, Zhang, Yutong, Li, Ling, Di, Hongmei, Bian, Jinlin, Ma, Jie, Escalona, Victor Hugo, Hong, Hanjun, Li, Huanxiu, Tang, Yi, Huang, Zhi, Zhang, Fen, Chen, Zhifeng, Sun, Bo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chinese kale sprouts; Glucosinolates; Growth; Light quality; Melatonin
• ISSN: 0023-6438; 1096-1127
• DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2024.116137

Chinese kale sprouts have garnered attention owing to its rich health-promoting compounds. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different light qualities (white, blue, and red light) and melatonin (100 μmol L−1), both individually and in combination, on the growth and accumulation of health-promoting compounds in Chinese kale sprouts. Red light positively influenced sprout growth (compared with white light, plant height and fresh weight increased by 16.67 % and 4.87 %, respectively), and the red light + melatonin treatment further enhanced growth (compared with single red light, the plant height and fresh weight increased by 14.97 % and 12.29 %, respectively), while increasing glucosinolate accumulation through the up-regulation of glucosinolate biosynthetic genes (UGT74B1, CYP83B1, SOT18 and IGMT1). Conversely, blue light inhibited sprout growth, elevated the expression levels of PAL, CHS, CHI, GGP, and PAX, improved antioxidant levels, and accelerated the accumulation of aliphatic glucosinolates, reducing indolic glucosinolates. The blue light + melatonin treatment promoted the accumulation of sprout biomass and anthocyanins (11.91 % and 13.33 % higher than that of single blue light). The study unveiled various pathways influencing plant growth, development, and secondary metabolite accumulation, including plant circadian rhythms, ascorbate and aldarate metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and glucosinolate biosynthesis. •The combination of light quality and melatonin increases biomass.•The combination of blue light and melatonin increase the content of anthocyanins.•Blue light increases the content of aliphatic glucosinolates.•The combination of red light and melatonin increased the content of the glucosinolates.