Dynamics of Bioactive Compounds under the Influence of Yellow, Blue, and Violet Light Filters on Hippophae rhamnoides L. (Sea Buckthorn) Fruits

Abstract

The current study was carried out to monitor the dynamics of phenolic compounds and vitamin C variations in Hippophae rhamnoides L. (sea buckthorn) under the influence of different color filters, as follows: yellow (590 nm), blue (450 nm), and violet (400 nm). The fruits were harvested at maturity from different parts of the canopy (i.e., base, middle, and top), immediately stored at −18 °C, and afterward lyophilized to reduce the loss of compounds for preparing the chemical assays that were carried out. HPLC-DAD-ESI+ was used to determine the phenolic compounds and vitamin C content of the fruits. EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) measurements were also carried out to confirm the antioxidant character of the berries. This is the first study to examine the effect of different color filters on the accumulation of phenolic compounds and vitamin C content in the fruits of sea buckthorn. Among the three color filters used, the violet filter proved to be the most beneficial for the accumulation of total phenolic compounds (3.326 mg/g) and vitamin C (1.550 mg/g) in the berries. To reach high contents of phenolic compounds and vitamin C, the best setup included using very-high-energy emission LEDs as close as possible to blue and violet (400–450 nm). Therefore, the different light color intensities and temperatures on each level of a canopy play key roles in enhancing the phenolic compound content, antioxidant activity, and vitamin C content of sea buckthorn fruits. This knowledge will help provide insights into the accumulation of secondary metabolites and improve future production strategies in sea buckthorn.