Abstract

Background: Pigmented rice varieties are gaining interest due to their superior nutritional and phenolic properties compared to white rice varieties. With the rising risk of diabetes, cereals with higher protein contents should be consumed with rice. Adlay is one of the underutilized crops with higher protein contents and other functional properties. The germination process is one of the easy and innovative techniques for improving functional properties in seeds. In this study, two pigmented rice varieties and adlay seeds were soaked (24 h) and germinated for 12, 24, 36, and 48 h. The physicochemical properties, polyphenolic profiles, and the antioxidant activities of these samples were evaluated. Results: Purple rice (PR) demonstrated the highest values for polyphenolic contents, with 9 compounds detected for antioxidant activities. There were 6 compounds detected for red rice (RR). The adlay seeds had the least concentrations of phenolic compounds, with 6 compounds and higher nutritional properties identified. New compounds were synthesized. Among the rice samples, 24 h soaking (S24) gave the best results for phenolic and antioxidant properties, with 24 h germination in adlay seeds. 48 h germination yielded better results for the nutritional values in all the samples. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates how the process of soaking is a cheap and less time-consuming process of improving bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities in pigmented rice varieties and adlay seeds.

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