Effects of abiotic factors on Zingiber officinale and Glycyrrhiza glabra to extract bioactive compounds under different time incubation and different salt concentrations.

Abstract

Zingiber officinale, commonly known as ginger, and Glycyrrhiza glabra, commonly known as licorice, are medicinal plants that are rich in bioactive compounds with various health benefits. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different growth durations and salt concentrations on the production of bioactive compounds by these plants. This experiment was conducted under natural conditions and the plants were subjected to salt stress at different stages of growth. This analysis focused on assessing the production of polysaccharides, flavonoids, ergosterol, adenine, adenosine, hypoxanthine, and guanosine by UV spectrophotometer and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in both plants. The results showed that Z. officinale exhibited the highest polysaccharide content at 20-d of growth with 3mM salt, whereas G. glabra showed slightly lower polysaccharide content. Similarly, Z. officinale had higher flavonoid content at 25-d of growth with 5 mM salt compared to G. glabra. Additionally, Z. officinale demonstrated higher concentrations of ergosterol, adenine, adenosine, hypoxanthine, and guanosine than G. glabra, particularly at 25-d of growth with 5 mM salt. This study provides valuable insights into the production of bioactive compounds in Z. officinale and G. glabra under different growth conditions, which can be beneficial for optimizing their cultivation and utilization in various applications including pharmaceuticals and functional foods.