Sodium hypochlorite

Chickpea genotype PUSA 372 and JG 62, procured from IARI, were used in the pot experiments. JG 62 is susceptible to DRR and BRR diseases⁵ . Experimental chickpea seeds were surface sterilized with 2% sodium hypochlorite (Cat #1936071021, Merck life sciences, Mumbai, India) solution by vortexing for two minutes. Further, seeds were washed with autoclaved RO water five times for 30 seconds each. Soilrite (Keltech Energies Limited, Bangalore, India) was used as the soil medium in pot experiments. Plants were grown in a growth room with a temperature of 28 ± 2 °C and photoperiod of 16 h/8 h light/ dark and light intensity of 150 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and relative humidity of 52 ± 2%.

Acetonitrile and acetic acid (both of MS grade), methanol (HPLC grade), Folin–Ciocalteu reagent, hydrochloric acid, sodium hypochlorite, and sodium carbonate were purchased from Merck (Darmstadt, Germany). Ultrapure water (Thermofisher Scientific, Bremen, Germany) was used to prepare standard solutions and blanks. Syringe filters (25 mm, nylon membrane, 0.45 μm) were purchased from Supelco (Bellefonte, PA, USA). Analytical standards of phenolic compounds (gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, gentisic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, caffeic acid, vanillic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, aesculin, aesculetin, polydatin, trans-resveratrol, catechin, isoquercetin, myricetin, luteolin, and naringenin) were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (Steinheim, Germany).

Shoot apices (1–1.2 cm) were collected from the Medicinal Plant Garden, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, India. Surface disinfection of the shoot apex explants was done following a series of treatments using autoclaved (at 1.1 kg/cm² pressure and 121 °C for 15 min) solutions of 0.03% (w/v) bavistin, 10% (v/v) Tween-20, 20% (v/v) sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), 1% (w/v) cetrimide, ethyl alcohol (C₂H₅OH), and 0.1% (w/v) mercuric chloride (HgCl₂) (all these were obtained from Merck Life Sciences. Pvt. Ltd., India), carried out in the Laminar Air Flow cabinet (LAF). All of the sterilants were used for 5 min with the exception of ethyl alcohol, which was used for 30 s. After disinfection, the explants were taken out and the exposed basal portions of the shoot apices were trimmed and removed.

Alcalase 2.5 L PF with an activity of 2.5 AU-A/g was procured for this research from Novozymes (Bagsværd, Denmark). Trypsin (an activity of 2500–6000 BAEE U/mL) and pepsin (an activity of 0.7 FIP-U/mg) were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich Pty Ltd. (St. Louis, MI, USA). All the chemicals and reagents used in the study, such as ethanol, sodium hypochlorite, sodium carbonate anhydrous, sodium phosphate, sodium dodecyl sulfate, hydrochloric acid, phenol, boric acid, and Folin–Ciocalteu, were of analytical grade and obtained from Merck (Darmstadt, Germany. Standard substances, specifically GABA and gallic acid, were sourced from Sigma Aldrich (St. Louis, MI, USA).
Mung beans, specifically of the DX208 variety, were procured from the Southern Seed Corporation in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. To ensure quality, the beans underwent a selection process involving the removal of broken, flat beans, and impurities.
Gum arabic (GA, Alland & Robert, Paris, France) and whey protein (WP, Hilmar Ingredients, Hilmar, CA, USA) were utilized as wall materials.

V. floribundum Kunth fruit samples were collected between March and April 2019 in Sanchez‐Carriòn province (La Libertad, Peru) and gathered at the National University of San Marcos (Lima, Peru), where their taxonomy was certified by the Herbario San Marcos (National University of San Marcos, Lima, Peru). Berries were mashed, freeze‐dried by a Heto PowerDry LL1500 (Thermo Fisher), finely ground in a mortar, and stored at −20°C until use. Optima® MS grade water, methanol (MeOH), and acetonitrile (ACN) were purchased from Thermo Fisher Scientific (Waltham, Massachusetts, USA). Acetone, acetic acid, formic acid, sodium hypochlorite, sodium acetate, 2,2′‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), and Folin–Ciocalteu's phenol reagent were purchased from Merck (Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA). L. plantarum starters were supplied by the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC, Manassas, Virginia, USA). De Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) agar powder and yeast from Saccharomyces cerevisiae were purchased from Sigma‐Aldrich (St. Louis, Missouri, USA). L. plantarum at 5% was activated in 10 mL of MRS agar broth for 16 h at 30°C in anaerobic conditions, diluted to 1% with an additional 40 mL MRS agar broth, and activated for a further 16 h under the same conditions.

The ripe Indian gooseberries (IGB) commonly known as ‘amla’, were obtained in the month of March 2022 from a retail store in Bangkok, Thailand. All the fruit samples were screened based on the uniform size and free of blemish or bruises on the surface. Fruit samples (20 kg) were transported to the Department of Food Technology, Chulalongkorn University. Upon arrival, fruit samples were washed with distilled water to remove dirt and dust, followed by immersion in 0.2 mg/mL of sodium hypochlorite (Merck Co., Darmstadt, Germany) for 2 min, and washed with sterile water prior to peeling and size reduction into slices. The sliced fruit samples were squeezed in a pulp extractor, and the extracted IGBJ was collected in food grade glassware and diluted with sterile water in the ratio of 1:2 (v/v). The juice (~10 L) was kept at −18 °C until further analysis.