Synergistic effect of selenium and UV‐B radiation in enhancing antioxidant level of wheatgrass grown from selenium rich wheat

Wheatgrass are young saplings of the common wheat plant containing significant amount of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants like phenols/flavonoids. During its germination and growth, many biotic and abiotic factors influence the nutritional quality of wheatgrass. Present work was focused on understanding the profile of enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants levels in wheatgrass when exposed to selenium (Se) and ultraviolet‐B (UV‐B) radiation. Se‐rich wheat grains were used for cultivation of wheatgrass under UV‐B radiation whereas, nonseleniferous wheat and visible light were considered as control. The Se content in wheat grains was 115 μg/g whereas, in wheatgrass, the concentration reached upto 150 μg/g. Se and UV‐B enhanced flavonoid and phenolic contents in wheatgrass, whereas, combined interaction of Se and UV‐B exhibited synergistic effect in enhancing their levels further along with simultaneous increase in antioxidant properties vis‐a‐vis antioxidant enzymes. Se : UV‐B exposure also synergistically enhanced levels of many free and cell wall bound phenolic compounds. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Wheatgrass is a vital and well known food supplements rich in different phytonutrients along with significant amount of proteins, vitamins and minerals. Consumption of wheatgrass is known to have many health benefits such as antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory and anti‐aging properties. A nutritional value of wheatgrass is generally dependent of germination conditions and is greatly influenced by environmental stress. In this study, exposure of Se‐rich wheatgrass to UV‐B radiation has exhibited a significant increase in different antioxidant properties. Thus, wheatgrass naturally enriched with selenium can be an effective source of Se supplementation along with other nutritional benefits that it facilitates.