Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) is an economically important aquatic ornamental herb with multiple uses, including food, tea, natural pigments, and/or healthcare product. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical properties and antioxidant potential of lotus sprouts grown in three media: sprouting machine (LSSG), soil (LSSC), and mud (LSMC). The longest sprout was obtained in LSMC (4.79 and 26.79 ㎝) followed by LSSC (1.95 and 5.4 ㎝), and LSSG (0.60 and 2.85 ㎝) at 5 and 10 days, respectively. Higher amounts of total free amino acids were found in cotyledons (33.96, 21.45, and 38.90 ㎎/g) than in hypocotyls (15.77, 7.90, and 15.29 ㎎/g ) for LSSG, LSSC, and LSMC, respectively. The ratios of total essential to total non-essential amino acids were higher in hypocotyls (0.36, 0.31, and 0.46) than in cotyledons (0.34, 0.25, and 0.40), respectively. Similarly, the total polyphenol content of the hypocotyl of LSMC (50.33 ㎍ GAE/g) was the highest and that of the husk of LSSG (24.08 ㎍ GAE/g) was the lowest. Overall, the antioxidant potential of hypocotyl was higher than that of husk and cotyledon. The results indicated that the lotus sprouts grown in mud could be a good source of nutritional and natural antioxidants.

Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
    Chemicals and seed materials
    Cultivation of lotus sprouts
    Measurement of growth parameters and preparation ofsprout powder samples
    Color measurement
    Determination of total polyphenol content
    Determination of Free amino acid conte
    Determination of DPPH radical scavenging activity
    Determination of ABTS radical scavenging activity
    Determination of superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity
    Statistical analysis
Results
    Germination rate and sprout length
    Color
    Free amino acid composition
    Antioxidant potential
Discussion
References

• Seo-Hyeon Lim(School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University)
• So-Hyeon Kim(School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University)
• Jae-Jung Park(School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University)
• Yong-Sung Park(School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University)
• Sanjeev Kumar Dhungana(Department of Southern Area Crop Science, National Institute of Crop Science, Rural Development Administration)
• Il-Doo Kim(International Institute of Research and Development, Kyungpook National University)
• Dong-Hyun Shin(School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University) Corresponding author