Evaluation and observance of variation in chemical and antioxidant activity changes during the development of fenugreek seeds following thin-layer chromatography–fingerprint and marker analysis

Fenugreek seeds are integral to Indian cuisine and have been used as traditional medicine since antiquity. A variety of chemical constituents are reported in seeds and possess numerous activities. In addition to fenugreek seeds, reports are available on the pharmacological importance of sprouted fenugreek seeds and seedlings. However, a comparative chemical study on the different stages of seed-to-seedling development has yet to be published. Diosgenin is an important steroidal saponin of fenugreek and is responsible for many pharmacological activities. Hence, in the present work, the authors aim to study the changes in chemical content (fingerprint and diosgenin in marker analysis) and antioxidant potential during growth. The study indicated the increased accumulation of high diosgenin content and different chemical components during the growth, which was found to be the highest in sprouts with high antioxidant activity. The technical data developed for comparative chemical work on fenugreek seeds, sprouts, and seedlings revealed that sprouts collected on the fourth day of sprouting are more pharmacologically active with high diosgenin content and antioxidant activity than seeds and seedlings.