Antioxidants in sprouts of grains

Seed germination triggers complex biochemical transformations that leads to a great impact on the antioxidant contents in the germinated seeds, such as grains. In this chapter, we summarize the findings reported in peer-reviewed articles. We found that a number of antioxidant assays have been used for quantifying antioxidants in germinated seeds by different research groups and this makes it hard to compare the antioxidant activity of different studies. Conversely, there seems to be positive effects of germination on antioxidant activity of wide range of grains including buckwheat, barley, wheat, oats, etc. The specific antioxidant compounds present in different grains vary significantly. Flavonol increased significantly in germinated buckwheat, while for wheat and barley, phenolic acids are responsible for the increase of antioxidant activity. The germination time also has a significant impact on the antioxidants and the impact is grain type-specific. In general, the enhanced antioxidant active contents of germinated grains may be responsible for their health promotion benefits.