Abstract
Edible sprouts are rich in flavonoids and other polyphenols, as well as proteins, minerals, and vitamins. Increasing sprout consumption necessitates improving their quality, palatability, and bioactivity. The purpose of this study was to test how KNO
priming affects the sprouting process species on three
species (
,
, and
) and their nutritional values. Targeted species of
were primed with KNO
, and the levels of different primary and secondary metabolites were determined. KNO
induced biomass accumulation in the sprouts of the three species, accompanied by an increased content of total mineral nutrients, pigments, vitamins, and essential amino acids. Besides, our results showed that KNO
enhanced the activity of nitrate reductase (NR), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), and glutamine synthetase (GS) enzymes, which are involved in the nitrogen metabolism and GOGAT cycle, which, in turn, increase the nitrogen and protein production. KNO
treatment improved the bioactive compound activities of
sprouts by increasing total phenolic and flavonoid contents and enhancing the antioxidant and antidiabetic activities. Furthermore, species-specific responses toward KNO
priming were noticeable, where
showed the highest antioxidant and antidiabetic activities, followed by
. Overall, this study sheds the light on the physiological and biochemical bases of growth, metabolism, and tissue quality improvement impact of KNO
on
sprouts.