Curcumin treatment enhances bioactive metabolite accumulation and reduces enzymatic browning in soybean sprouts during storage

• Published in: Food Chemistry: X 2023-03, Vol.17, p.100607-100607, Article 100607
• Main Authors: Deng, Benliang, Zhao, Jing, He, Mengyao, Tian, Shan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Enzymatic browning; H2O2 signaling; Polyphenol; Postharvest vegetable
• ISSN: 2590-1575; 2590-1575
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2023.100607

•Curcumin inhibits enzymatic browning in soybean sprouts during storage.•Curcumin affects the browning index, lipid damage, and antioxidant capacity.•The effects of curcumin are largely reversed by DPI, an NOX inhibitor.•The mechanism of action involves the activation of NOX-dependent H2O2 signaling.•The findings provide a new method for maintaining vegetable quality during storage. Curcumin is a natural polyphenol that is widely used in food and medicine. Here, we investigated the effects of curcumin on the antioxidant accumulation and enzymatic browning of soybean sprouts after storage at 4 °C for 2 weeks. Curcumin drastically reduced the water loss, browning index, and peroxide accumulation, increased the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase, decreased the activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and polyphenol oxidase, elevated the contents of ascorbic acid, reduced glutathione, nonprotein thiol, phenolics and isoflavones, and enhanced the total antioxidant capacity of soybean sprouts during storage. These curcumin-induced changes were partly but dramatically attenuated by inhibition of NADPH oxidase (NOX). Curcumin induced NOX activity and H2O2 burst in soybean sprouts during the first 24 h after treatment. The curcumin-induced antioxidants and -inhibited enzymatic browning are closely associated with NOX-dependent H2O2 signaling. The findings provide a new method for improving soybean sprout quality during storage.