Bioactive compounds extracted from plant essences are of great value for those enterprises interested in natural products; plant tissue culture techniques guarantee a reliable and constant biomass production. Hop (Humulus lupulus L.), with its wealth in bioactive compounds, is an unvaluable resource. The present study focused on the characterization of vitro-derived leaves and roots of two hop genotypes, Cascade and Gianni. Extracts obtained from the selected hop explants were investigated, determining their polyphenolic content as their antioxidant capacity, applying DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays; moreover, phenolic extract molecular profile was obtained through UHPLC-MS/MS. Results confirm the wealthy in bioactive compounds and the antioxidant properties of vitro-derived hop explants tested; furthermore, the qualitative characterization evidenced that extracts obtained from vitro-derived hop tissues are composed of twenty one different compounds and contain the same hop antioxidant molecules, as well as xanthohumol and isoxanthohumol, also present in open field grown hop plants, such as α-acids and β-acids. Achievement obtained are encouraging and lays the groundwork to further investigate the potential of vitro-derived hop plantlets as bioactive compounds source.

(1) Background: In recent years, the consumption of sprouts, thanks to their high nutritional value, and the presence of bioactive compounds with antioxidant, antiviral and antibacterial properties, is becoming an increasingly widespread habit. Moringa oleifera Lam. (Moringa) seems to be an inexhaustible resource considering that many parts may be used as food or in traditional medicine; on the other hand, Moringa sprouts still lack a proper characterization needing further insights to envisage novel uses and applications. (2) Methods: In this study, a rapid and easy protocol to induce the in vivo and in vitro germination of Moringa seeds has been set up to obtain sprouts and cotyledons to be evaluated for their chemical composition. Moreover, the effects of sprouts developmental stage, type of sowing substrate, and gibberellic acid use on the chemical characteristics of extracts have been evaluated. (3) Results: Moringa seeds have a high germinability, both in in vivo and in vitro conditions. In addition, the extracts obtained have different total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. (4) Conclusions: This research provides a first-line evidence to evaluate Moringa sprouts as future novel functional food or as a valuable source of bioactive compounds.

Bioactive compounds extracted from plant are of great value for those enterprises interested in the use of natural products; plant tissue culture techniques guarantee a reliable and constant biomass production. Hop (Humulus lupulus L.), with its wealth in bioactive compounds, may represent an invaluable resource. The present study focused on the characterization of vitro-derived leaves and roots of two hop plant types, Cascade and Gianni. Extracts obtained from the selected hop explants were investigated, determining their polyphenolic content as their antioxidant capacity, applying DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays; moreover, extract molecular profile was obtained through UHPLC-MS/MS. Results confirm the wealthy in bioactive compounds and the antioxidant properties of the tested vitro-derived hop explants. The qualitative characterization of vitro-derived hop tissue extracts evidenced the presence of twenty one different compounds, already identified in open field grown hop plants, such as polyphenols, α- and β-acids, as well as xanthohumol and isoxanthohumol. The obtained outcomes lay the groundwork to further investigate the potential of vitro-derived hop plantlets as bioactive compounds source. Graphical abstract

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