The Content of Phenolic Compounds in Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) Plants Derived from Melatonin and NaCl Treated Seeds

Stevia is a plant with many beneficial properties. It contains not only steviol glycosides, which are used as non-caloric natural sweeteners, but also a number of metabolites with antioxidant properties. This study examined the content of both phenolic acids and flavonoids in stevia leaves as an effect of treating seeds with melatonin and conducting germination in NaCl conditions. The results of our research indicated higher amounts of phenolic acids compared to flavonoids in stevia leaves. Among these acids, isochlorogenic, rosmarinic, and chlorogenic acids were accumulated in the largest amounts, regardless of the germination conditions. For 5 and 100 mu M of melatonin treatments, the content of both phenolic acids and flavonoids increased. However, in salinity conditions (50 mM NaCl), 500 mu M of melatonin had the most favorable effect on the synthesis of phenolic acids. The phenolic acids in that case reached a level three-times higher than that in the samples with the same melatonin concentration but without NaCl. We also found that the content of phenolic compounds varied depending on the age of the leaves. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to describe the effect of melatonin and NaCl on the synthesis on phenolic acids and flavonoids in stevia.

Automated summary

This study investigated the content of phenolic acids and flavonoids in stevia leaves as affected by treatment with melatonin and germination in NaCl conditions. The results showed that phenolic acids were more abundant than flavonoids in stevia leaves. Treatment with melatonin increased the content of both phenolic acids and flavonoids, and 500μM melatonin under salinity conditions had the most favorable effect on the synthesis of phenolic acids. The content of phenolic compounds also varied depending on the age of the leaves.