Study of the effect of growth time and visible light intensity on the content of silymarin in milk thistle sprouts (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertner) using spectroscopic methods.

The aim of this study was to develop a method for enhancing silymarin content in milk thistle sprouts, a plant widely used in the treatment of liver diseases. The process included several stages. The first stage involved evaluating the impact of light intensity on the silymarin content in edible milk thistle sprouts. The experiments were conducted under controlled conditions (in a climate chamber), with uniform germination parameters (temperature, humidity, duration) across samples, while varying light intensity levels -0 %, 25 % (2950 lux), 50 % (4960 lux), 75 % (6930 lux), and 100 % (7830 lux). The optimal light intensity was determined based on analyses performed using infrared spectroscopy. The second stage of the study examined the effect of growth duration on silymarin content in edible milk thistle sprouts. In this experiment, besides maintaining constant germination parameters (temperature, humidity, and light intensity), sprouts were harvested after 3, 6, 9, and 12 days. The analysis focused on characteristic spectral bands associated with the benzene ring, methoxyl, and hydroxyl groups vibrations within the silymarin structure. Infrared analysis of the extracts revealed the presence of metabolites from the phenylpropanoid pathway. The spectral analysis utilized IR and Raman spectra of commercial silymarin, along with theoretical spectra calculated for its major components.