<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">The work aimed to determine the potential of selenium incorporation into seeds of selected species of <italic>Ocimum</italic> spp. after fortification with a foliar solution of sodium selenate at a concentration of 50 g Se · ha−1. In a 2-year trial, the selenium content was determined by electrothermal atomic absorption method with Zeeman background correction. Modified spectrophotometric method (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH] assays) was used to rate the potential of oxidation– reduction components of basil seeds (AA). The total polyphenol content (TPC) was determined spectrophotometrically using the Folin–Ciocalteu reagent and gallic acid (GA) as the standard solution. The results of experiments showed that the selenium biofortification significantly (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) increased the content of selenium in basil seeds (17-fold increase in comparison with controlled variant in case of Tulsi, 12-fold in ‘Cinamonette’ and 12-fold in ‘Dark Green’ when compared with control). The basil seeds represented a valuable source of polyphenols (1414.61–1681.75 μg GA · g−1 dried weight [d.w.]) with multiple times higher antioxidant activity (23.50–28.97 mmol Trolox · kg−1) in comparison with common tested horticultural crops (e.g. peas, tomato and pumpkin). Significant influence of fortification was not found in AA and TPC values. Fortification was not significantly reflected in AA and TPC values. In addition to its very strong reproductive function, healing and religious purposes, the basil seed is used as a functional food due to its high content of bioactive compounds.</abstract>

The work aimed to determine the potential of selenium incorporation into seeds of selected species of Ocimum spp. after fortification with a foliar solution of sodium selenate at a concentration of 50 g Se · ha−1. In a 2-year trial, the selenium content was determined by electrothermal atomic absorption method with Zeeman background correction. Modified spectrophotometric method (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH] assays) was used to rate the potential of oxidation– reduction components of basil seeds (AA). The total polyphenol content (TPC) was determined spectrophotometrically using the Folin–Ciocalteu reagent and gallic acid (GA) as the standard solution. The results of experiments showed that the selenium biofortification significantly (p < 0.05) increased the content of selenium in basil seeds (17-fold increase in comparison with controlled variant in case of Tulsi, 12-fold in ‘Cinamonette’ and 12-fold in ‘Dark Green’ when compared with control). The basil seeds represented a valuable source of polyphenols (1414.61–1681.75 μg GA · g−1 dried weight [d.w.]) with multiple times higher antioxidant activity (23.50–28.97 mmol Trolox · kg−1) in comparison with common tested horticultural crops (e.g. peas, tomato and pumpkin). Significant influence of fortification was not found in AA and TPC values. Fortification was not significantly reflected in AA and TPC values. In addition to its very strong reproductive function, healing and religious purposes, the basil seed is used as a functional food due to its high content of bioactive compounds.

Basil seeds as a source of antioxidants affected by fortification with selenium

Department of Vegetable Production, Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering

Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra

Department of Management, Faculty of Economics

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Education

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences

University of Constantinus the Philosopher in Nitra

Department of Fruit Growing, Viticulture and Enology, Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering

Folia Horticulturae

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Basil seeds as a source of antioxidants affected by fortification with selenium"}

The work aimed to determine the potential of selenium incorporation into seeds of selected species of Ocimum spp. after fortification with a foliar solution of...

Basil seeds as a source of antioxidants affected by fortification with selenium

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Apr 18, 2020

Page range: 11 - 20

Received: Feb 12, 2020

Accepted: Feb 21, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fhort-2020-0002

Keywords
AOA, fortification, selenium content, TPC

© 2020 Ivana Mezeyová et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Basil seeds as a source of antioxidants affected by fortification with selenium

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Apr 18, 2020

Page range: 11 - 20

Received: Feb 12, 2020

Accepted: Feb 21, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fhort-2020-0002

KeywordsAOA, fortification, selenium content, TPC

© 2020 Ivana Mezeyová et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
AOA, fortification, selenium content, TPC