Exploring Cold plasma technology: Enhancements in Carob seed germination, phytochemical Composition, and antioxidant activity
Khadija Ben Othman,
Mohamed Majdi Cherif,
Imen Assadi,
Walid Elfalleh,
Lotfi Khezami,
Achraf Ghorbal,
Aymen Amine Assadi
Affiliations
Khadija Ben Othman
Energy, Water, Environment and Process Laboratory, National Engineering School of Gabes, University of Gabes, Zrig, 6072, Gabes, Tunisia
Mohamed Majdi Cherif
Energy, Water, Environment and Process Laboratory, National Engineering School of Gabes, University of Gabes, Zrig, 6072, Gabes, Tunisia
Imen Assadi
Energy, Water, Environment and Process Laboratory, National Engineering School of Gabes, University of Gabes, Zrig, 6072, Gabes, Tunisia
Walid Elfalleh
Energy, Water, Environment and Process Laboratory, National Engineering School of Gabes, University of Gabes, Zrig, 6072, Gabes, Tunisia; Research Unit Advanced Materials, Applied Mechanics, Innovative Processes and Environment, UR22ES04, Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology of Gabes, University of Gabes, Gabes, 6072, Tunisia; Corresponding authorEnergy, Water, Environment and Process Laboratory, National Engineering School of Gabes, University of Gabes, Zrig, 6072, Gabes, Tunisia.
Lotfi Khezami
Chemistry Department, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), 11623, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Achraf Ghorbal
Research Unit Advanced Materials, Applied Mechanics, Innovative Processes and Environment, UR22ES04, Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology of Gabes, University of Gabes, Gabes, 6072, Tunisia
Aymen Amine Assadi
College of Engineering, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, IMSIU, Riyadh, 11432, Saudi Arabia; Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Rennes, Université de Rennes, CNRS, ISCR—UMR 6226, 35000, Rennes, France; Corresponding authorCollege of Engineering, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, IMSIU, Riyadh 11432, Saudi Arabia.
The cultivation of carob tree does not need many climatic and ecological requirements. The main limit to its large-scale cultivation is the defects for propagation with seeds. Addressing this, our study evaluated the effect of cold plasma pretreatment on carob seed germination.Impressively, cold plasma showcased beneficial effects by significantly increasing water uptake in seeds (CS: 1.71 ± 0.59; PS/3.99 ± 1.56) and decreasing the contact angle from 80.7° to 57.9°, enhancing the seed surface's hydrophilicity. While the germination rate enhancement was subtle, the treatment presented an innovative route to modifying the seed's physiochemical properties. Specifically, storage proteins like albumin, globulin, and prolamin were notably reduced (Albumin (from 7.67 to 4.95 mg/g DW), Globulin (from 8.52 to 5.80 mg/g DW) and Prolamin (from 3.53 to 1.66 mg/g DW)). Additionally, there was a decline in the overall content of polyphenols (from 846.88 to 760.94 mg GAE/100g DW) and flavonoids (from 790.93 to 502.95 mg GAE/100g DW) and a decrease in the ferric reducing power (from 34.48 to 26.39 mg AAE/g DW). However, radical scavenging activity remained consistent. Intriguingly, FTIR-ATR spectral analysis post plasma treatment indicated oxidative alterations in the seed coat, marked by a distinctive intensity at 1732 cm⁻1.This investigation suggests that the application of eco-friendly technology could provide improvements in seed surface's hydrophilicity, but appropriate conditions could be chosen to increase germination efficiency.
