Sprouting characteristics and associated changes in antioxidant activities and phenolic composition of faba bean cultivars

The aim of the present experiment was to assess the impact of sprouting process on the phenolic composition and antioxidants activities of six Vicia faba cultivars. The total phenolic, flavonoid, and tannin contents, DPPH assay, and total antioxidant capacity of un-sprouted and sprouted extracts were evaluated. All the detected parameters were affected by the type of cultivar. The study showed that germination improved the total phenolic and flavonoid contents of all cultivars but did not affect tannin content, except for the germinated Chourouk and Saber flours. The latter two cultivars also showed a strong enhancement of the scavenging activities and total antioxidant capacity. Among the investigated flour extracts, raw and sprouted Chourouk extracts exhibited the highest total phenolic, tannin, and flavonoid contents and the best antioxidant activities values. Thus, this cultivar can be used in functional foods or as additives in some medicine formulations.