UPTAKE OF VARIOUS TRACE-ELEMENTS DURING GERMINATION OF WHEAT, BUCKWHEAT AND QUINOA

The practice of sprouting is widely used to improve the nutritional va lue of grain seeds. Several nutritive factors such as vitamin concentr ations and bioavailability of trace elements and minerals increase dur ing germination. The objective of this work was to study the enrichmen t of various essential trace elements during germination of wheat (Tri ticum aestivum), buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), and quinoa (Chenopo dium quinoa) seeds in order to improve their nutritional role as a sou rce of bioavailable trace elements. Seeds were sprouted either in dist illed-or tap-water and in five different electrolyte solutions to inve stigate the concentration-dependent uptake. The time-dependence was in vestigated by analyzing aliquots of the sprouts after certain germinat ion periods. Samples were analyzed after freeze drying for their Li, V , Cr, Fe, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Sr, Mo, As and Se concentrations with induct ively-coupled plasma mass-spectrometry (ICP-MS). As a control for poss ible changes in the biochemical metabolism of the sprouts, the biosynt hesis of vitamin C was also determined by using reversed-phase ion-pai r HPLC. It was shown that quinoa was the most resistant to the applied electrolyte solutions and had the highest uptake rates for almost all elements, followed by buckwheat and wheat. Greatest increases were ob served for Co, Sr, and Li. No significant changes in vitamin C biosynt hesis were observed between sprouts grown in different electrolyte sol utions. The time-dependent uptake for most elements was characterized by a significant absorption during soaking of the seeds, followed by a lag phase during the first day of germination and an increased uptake during the second and third day. Se and As showed distinctly differen t uptake behaviors.