The Changes in Proximate Composition, Antioxidant A ctivity and Fatty Acid Profile of Germinating Safflower ( Carthamus tinctorius ) Seed

Abstract

In this work, the effect of three-day germination o n proximate composition, total phenolic compounds, fatty acid profile, vitamin C c ontent, radical scavenging activity, malondialdehyde content and reducing power of saffl ower seed was investigated. Apart from ash, other parameters including oil, protein a nd crude fiber contents decreased significantly during germination. Phenolics content increased gradually from 4.72 to 9.51 mg g -1 . Vitamin C sharply increased at the beginning of g ermination (4.22 to 7.04 mg 100 g -1 after 1-day germination) and after that no signifi cant difference was observed. Germination improved the quality of safflower oil b y increasing the unsaturated and decreasing the saturated fatty acids (about 5%). Re sults indicated that germination could be a suitable bioprocess to improve chemical compos ition and nutritional value of safflower seed. Keywords : Antioxidant activity, Germination, Malondialdehyd e, Oil, Phenolic.