## 3 Results and Discussion  
Effect of Organic Acids Addition on the Content of Polyphenols and Antioxidant Properties in Red Cabbage Sprouts  
Figure 1 shows the results of the total polyphenol content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (ABTS) of fresh red cabbage and fresh red cabbage sprouts. The tested fresh sprouts immediately after production were characterized by a higher content of polyphenols (17.43 \(\pm\) 0.17 mg GAE/g f. w.) compared to the samples of fresh red cabbage (12.83 \(\pm\) 0.14 mg GAE/g f. w.), while the antioxidant activity of the tested samples was comparable (347.36 \(\pm\) 2.52 uM TEAC/1 g and 345.67 \(\pm\) 2.32 uM TEAC/g f.w., respectively). The available literature lacks studies comparing the content of polyphenols and the antioxidant activity of sprouts and vegetables at full maturity, especially in red cabbage. However, there are data on the comparison of the content of nutrients and other compounds showing health-promoting properties. In the studies by [PERSON] et al., 2020 (2020), the content of nutrients between young shoots of red-headed cabbage and a fully ripe vegetable was compared. The authors showed that red cabbage was characterized by a significantly higher content of dry matter and total carbohydrates, including digestible carbohydrates, compared to the young shoots. In turn, young shoots in the phase of intensive growth were a better source of protein, minerals and glucosinolates. The higher content of polyphenols in sprouts may be related to the germination process, during which a reactivation of seed metabolism (according to higher activity of enzymes) takes place, promoting the hydrolysis of compounds with health-promoting properties ([PERSON], 2020). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline  & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Homogeneous Groups**} \\ \cline{2-7}
**Type of Samples** & **a** & **b** & **c** & **d** & **e** & **f** \\ \hline Red cabbage & *** & & & & & & \\ Sprouts treated with 1\% acetic acid & & *** & & & & \\ Sprout treated with 1\% citric acid & & & *** & & & \\ Sprouts treated with 1\% lactic acid & & & & *** & & \\ Not treated sprouts & & & & *** & & \\ Sprouts treated with 80 mg/L peracetic acid & & & & *** & & \\ Sprouts treated with 1\% ascorbic acid & & & & & *** & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Group homogeneity test (\(\alpha=0.05\)) comparing the effect of applied organic acids on the content of polyphenols (TPC) in red cabbage sprouts subjected to 7-day storage. Figure 3: Antioxidant properties (ABTS) of red cabbage sprouts with the addition of solutions of various organic acids subjected to 7- and 14-day storage. The graph shows the mean values and standard deviation (\(n=3\)). The content of polyphenols during the tested storage period of unfixed sprouts decreased by approximately 32% after 7 days of storage and by approximately 38% after 14 days in relation to the sample not subjected to storage. All the tested organic acids contributed to a much higher conservation of polyphenols during their 14-day storage, compared to the unpreserved sample, depending on the type of organic acid used. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Type of Samples**} & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Homogeneous Groups**} \\ \cline{2-7}  & **a** & **b** & **c** & **d** & **e** & **f** \\ \hline Not treated sprouts & *** & & & & & & \\ \multicolumn{7}{c}{Sprouts treated with 1\% acetic acid} & *** & & & & & \\ \multicolumn{7}{c}{Sprouts treated with 1\% citric acid} & *** & & & & & \\ \multicolumn{7}{c}{Sprouts treated with 1\% lactic acid} & *** & & & & & \\ \multicolumn{7}{c}{Sprouts treated with 80 mg/L peracetic acid} & & & & & & \\ \multicolumn{7}{c}{Sprouts treated with 1\% ascorbic acid} & & & & & & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 6: Group homogeneity test (\(\alpha\) = 0.05) comparing the effect of the organic acids used on the antioxidant properties (ABTS) of red cabbage sprouts subjected to 14-day storage.