Hemp sprouts reveal genotype differences in antioxidant potential

Hemp sprouts are emerging as a potential functional food, although their phytochemical composition remains poorly characterized. The study investigated the effect of genotype on growth, phytochemical accumulation, and antioxidant activity in four-day-old sprouts from eight hemp genotypes: Carmagnola Selezionata (CS), Fibrante, Carmaleonte, Codimono, Futura 75, USO 31, Felsinea, and Santhica 27. An integrated approach combining spectrophotometric assays, HPLC, and GC-MS analyses was used. Sprout length showed limited variability across genotypes, whereas biomass accumulation varied markedly, with CS, Fibrante, Felsinea, and Santhica 27 exhibiting the highest fresh and dry weights, and Carmaleonte and Codimono the lowest. Phytosterols (46.3%) and phenolics (33.9%) represented the predominant classes, followed by tocols (17.3%) and carotenoids (2.5%), whereas terpenes occurred only in traces (0.1%) and cannabinoids were not detected in any genotype. Fibrante, Futura 75, and Santhica 27 accumulated comparatively higher levels of several bioactive classes among the genotypes investigated, whereas the remining genotypes displayed more selective enrichment patterns. In particular, Fibrante, Futura 75, and Santhica 27 showed the highest accumulation of phenolics, particularly kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, apigenin-7-O-glucoside, vitexin, isovitexin, and gallic acid, together with elevated levels of tocopherols and phytosterols. Fibrante also exhibited the highest carotenoid levels, particularly lutein and violaxanthin, and the highest antioxidant activity. CS, Codimono, USO 31, and Felsinea generally showed lower metabolite accumulation, although they maintained a moderate accumulation of specific lipid-soluble antioxidants and terpenes. Carmaleonte displayed the lowest levels across most metabolites. Overall, among the analyzed genotypes, Fibrante, followed by Santhica 27 and Futura 75, exhibited the most favorable combination of phytochemical composition and biomass production, making these genotypes promising candidates for further studies in the field of functional foods.