Abstract

This study mainly explored the effects of different concentrations of AgNPs on the growth and quality of mustard sprouts. The results demonstrated that treatment with 50 mg L?1 AgNPs significantly increased the edible fresh weight, soluble protein, ascorbic acid, total phenolics, chlorophylls, carotenoids, and glucosinolates content of mustard sprouts, with the values being 1.11, 1.40, 1.05, 1.04, 1.16, 1.12, and 1.14-fold those of the control, respectively. Similarly, treatment with 100 mg L?1 AgNPs significantly elevated the soluble sugar, flavonoids content, with values 1.26-fold and 1.24-fold higher than those in the control, respectively. The treatment with 200 mg L?1 AgNPs increased the glucosinolates content to 1.14-fold that of the control. A comprehensive evaluation of the membership function across all treatments revealed that the optimal AgNPs concentration was 50 mg L?1, yielding an average membership function value of 0.82. In conclusion, the 50 mg L?1 AgNPs treatment significantly enhanced both the productivity and nutritional quality of mustard sprouts. It provides an effective method for improving the efficient and high quality production of mustard sprouts. © 2025 Elsevier Inc.