Effect of plasma activated water Immersion on Broccoli Seed Germination and Nutritional Quality of Sprouts

In the present study, plasma activated water (PAW) immersion with different discharge times were applied to investigate their effects on broccoli seed germination, sprouts growth, antioxidant enzyme activities, polyphenol and anthocyanin content as well as sulforaphane formation. The seed germination rate, germination index, vigor index, water absorption, wettability and sprouts growth were promoted by PAW treatments, and plasma discharge for 30 min (PAW30) treatment showed the best germination rate and sprouts growth. No significant difference was found in color, polyphenol and anthocyanin content as well as myrosinase activity among different PAW treatments. The superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) enzyme activities of broccoli sprouts were enhanced significantly by all PAW treatments. Besides, PAW15, PAW30 and PAW60 treatments also increased significantly the sulforaphane formation of 5 d sprouts, which increased by 7.09%, 10.34% and 5.43% compared to the control, respectively. Therefore, these data indicated that seeds immersed with PAW30 could be used as a promising strategy to enhance the seed germination and quality of broccoli sprouts.