The Potential of Cold Plasma and Electromagnetic Field as Stimulators of Natural Sweeteners Biosynthesis in Bertoni.

Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 5749

Study snapshot

PublicationPlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022

Study typeother

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Stevioside (Stev) and rebaudioside A (RebA) are the most abundant steviol glycosides (SGs) responsible for the sweetness of Bertoni. As compared to Stev, RebA has a higher sweetening potency, better taste and therefore is the most preferred component of the stevia leaf extracts. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of pre-sowing seed treatment with abiotic stressors cold plasma (CP) and electromagnetic field (EMF) on the amount and ratio of RebA and Stev in the leaves of stevia. Additionally, the effect on total phenolic content, flavonoid content and antioxidant activity was investigated. Seeds were treated 5 and 7 min with cold plasma (CP5 and CP7 groups) and 10 min with electromagnetic field (EMF10 group) six days before sowing. The germination tests in vitro demonstrated that all treatments slightly increased germination rate and percentage. HPLC analysis revealed that CP and EMF had strong stimulating effect on SGs accumulation. All treatments increased RebA concentration approximately 1.6-fold; however, the ratio of RebA/Stev decreased from 8.5 in the control to 1.9, 2.5 and 1.1 in CP5, CP7 and EMF10 groups respectively, since the concentration of Stev increased more than RebA, 7.1, 4.6 and 11.0-fold, respectively, compared to control. However, treatments had opposite effect on total phenolic content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity. We have demonstrated for the first time that short time pre-sowing treatment of stevia seeds with CP and EMF can be a powerful tool for the enhancement of biosynthesis of RebA and Stev, however it can have negative impact on the content of other secondary metabolites.

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeother

Effect directionmixed

PopulationStevia (Bertoni) seeds/plants

Sample sizeNot supplied

Exposure10 min (EMF10 group), 6 days before sowing

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Pre-sowing seed treatment with EMF for 10 min slightly increased germination rate/percentage and strongly stimulated steviol glycoside accumulation in leaves. RebA increased ~1.6-fold, while Stev increased ~11.0-fold versus control, leading to a decreased RebA/Stev ratio (from 8.5 in control to 1.1 in EMF10). The treatments had an opposite (negative) effect on total phenolic content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity.

Outcomes measured

Stevioside (Stev) concentration in leaves
Rebaudioside A (RebA) concentration in leaves
RebA/Stev ratio
Germination rate and percentage (in vitro)
Total phenolic content
Flavonoid content
Antioxidant activity

Limitations

No EMF parameters (e.g., frequency, field strength) reported in the abstract
Sample size not reported in the abstract
Study is in plants (stevia), not humans/animals

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "other",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "electromagnetic field (pre-sowing seed treatment)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "10 min (EMF10 group), 6 days before sowing"
  },
  "population": "Stevia (Bertoni) seeds/plants",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Stevioside (Stev) concentration in leaves",
    "Rebaudioside A (RebA) concentration in leaves",
    "RebA/Stev ratio",
    "Germination rate and percentage (in vitro)",
    "Total phenolic content",
    "Flavonoid content",
    "Antioxidant activity"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Pre-sowing seed treatment with EMF for 10 min slightly increased germination rate/percentage and strongly stimulated steviol glycoside accumulation in leaves. RebA increased ~1.6-fold, while Stev increased ~11.0-fold versus control, leading to a decreased RebA/Stev ratio (from 8.5 in control to 1.1 in EMF10). The treatments had an opposite (negative) effect on total phenolic content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "No EMF parameters (e.g., frequency, field strength) reported in the abstract",
    "Sample size not reported in the abstract",
    "Study is in plants (stevia), not humans/animals"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "electromagnetic field",
    "cold plasma",
    "pre-sowing seed treatment",
    "Stevia",
    "Bertoni",
    "steviol glycosides",
    "rebaudioside A",
    "stevioside",
    "phenolics",
    "flavonoids",
    "antioxidant activity",
    "HPLC"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.3390/plants11050611
PubMed: 35270081

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