Summary Elicitation is an efficient strategy for enhancing the phytochemical content by inducing various physiological changes in plants and sprouts. In the present study, citric acid, ascorbic acid, sodium chloride and mannitol at different concentrations were used as elicitors for enhancing the content of bioactive compounds in buckwheat sprouts obtained from hydroponically cultivated seeds. The phenolic content, flavonoids, flavonols, antioxidant activity, sugar, chlorophyll and carotenoids were estimated. The influence of elicitation on phenolic acids like ferulic acid, vanillic acid, gallic acid, rutin and quercetin was also determined by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC). Our results show that most of the phytochemical compounds are markedly higher in sprouts treated with citric acid (10 mm), ascorbic acid (1.5 mm) and sodium chloride (150 mm). The antioxidant activity is highest when the sprouts are treated with citric acid (10 mm) followed by NaCl (150 mm). A positive correlation is observed among antioxidant activity, phenolic content, flavonoids, tannins, rutin and ferulic acid. Our findings suggest that citric acid and sodium chloride can be recommended for effectively enhancing the phytochemical profile of buckwheat sprouts.

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