Effect of different soaking and germination methods on bioactive compounds of germinated brown rice

Germination of brown rice can be completed by full soaking and partial soaking methods. This study aimed to analyse the influence of germination methods on the bioactive accumulations in germinated brown rice (GBR). Germination was conducted in four treatments: (i) membrane reactor with full (RFS) and (ii) partial soaking method soaking (RAG), (iii) manual soaking for complete germination (MFS) and (iv) partial manual soaking in combination with atmospheric germination (MAG). The results showed that soaking BR in membrane reactor accelerated the shoots' growth and increased GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) content compared with the manual soaking method. The RAG treatment achieved higher GABA content (up to 125 mg/100 g), total phenolic and flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity than other germination methods. The main finding of this research indicates that membrane reactor effectively enhances the growth of sprouts. The combination of partial soaking in membrane reactor and atmospheric germination (RAG) is a suited method to increase GABA accumulation in GBR.

Automated summary

The study found that soaking brown rice in a membrane reactor accelerates shoot growth and increases GABA content. The RAG method, which combines partial soaking with a membrane reactor and atmospheric germination, achieved higher levels of GABA, total phenolic and flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity. This indicates that the RAG method is a suitable approach to increase GABA accumulation in germinated brown rice.