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Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant and Binding Activities and Spear Yield of Asparagus officinalis L.

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Abstract

The aim of this investigation was to find a proper harvesting period and establishing fern number, which effects the spear yield, bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities of Asparagus officinalis L. Spears were harvested at 2, 4, and 6 weeks after sprouting. Control for comparison was used without harvest. Spears and total yield increased with prolonged spear harvest period. In harvest of 6 weeks long optimum spear yield was the highest and fern numbers were 5 ~ 8. Bioactive compounds (polyphenols, flavonoids, flavanols, tannins and ascorbic acid) and the levels of antioxidant activities by ferric-reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assays in asparagus ethanol extracts significantly differed in the investigated samples and were the highest at 6 weeks harvest period (P < 0.05). The first and the second segments from the tip significantly increased with the increase of catalase (CAT). It was interesting to investigate in vitro how human serum albumin (HSA) interacts with polyphenols extracted from investigated vegetables. Therefore the functional properties of asparagus were studied by the interaction of polyphenol ethanol extracts with HSA, using 3D- FL. In conclusion, antioxidant status (bioactive compounds, binding and antioxidant activities) improved with the harvesting period and the first segment from spear tip. Appropriate harvesting is effective for higher asparagus yield and its bioactivity.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant (PJ009423022014) from the Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea. The authors are thankful to Dr. Elena Katrich (School of Pharmacy, Hebrew University of Jerusalem) for her technical assistance in determination of binding activity.

Conflict of Interest

We don’t have any conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Agriculture Civil Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 702-701, South Korea

    Jong Won Lee

  2. Division of Plant Biotechnology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 500-757, South Korea

    Jeong Hyun Lee

  3. Protected Horticulture Research Station, NIHHS, RDA, Busan, 618-800, South Korea

    In Ho Yu

  4. Institute for Drug Research, School of Pharmacy, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel

    Shela Gorinstein

  5. Department of Horticulture, Wonkwang University, Iksan, 570-749, South Korea

    Jong Hyang Bae & Yang Gyu Ku

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  1. Jong Won Lee
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  2. Jeong Hyun Lee
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Correspondence to Yang Gyu Ku.

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Lee, J.W., Lee, J.H., Yu, I.H. et al. Bioactive Compounds, Antioxidant and Binding Activities and Spear Yield of Asparagus officinalis L.. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 69, 175–181 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-014-0418-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-014-0418-9

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