Abstract
Amaranthus crops are important for their use as food and nutritional sources, as well as for their medicinal properties. They are mostly harvested from the wild, and cultivation of Amaranthus species is still rare, and therefore, attempts are being made to commercialize and market this important crop. This research investigated the effect of cultivation and environment on the chemical profile of both cultivated and wild A. cruentus and A. hybridus by multivariate statistical analysis of spectral data deduced by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Furthermore, wild samples of A. cruentus and A. hybridus were subjected to Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) for further analysis. Through NMR analysis, it was found that maltose and sucrose increased in both cultivated A. cruentus and A. hybridus. Moreover, the amino acid, proline was present in cultivated A. cruentus in high quantity whereas, proline and leucine were prominent in A. hybridus. Other compounds that were found in both wild and cultivated A. cruentus and A. hybridus are trehalose, trigonelline, lactulose, betaine, valine, alanine, fumarate, formate and kynurenine. LC-MS analysis revealed the presence of rutin, 2-phenylethenamine and amaranthussaponin I in both wild A. cruentus and A. hybridus, while chlorogenic acid was identified only in cultivated A. hybridus. On the contrary, L-tryptophan, kaempferol, phenylalanine and quercetin were detected only in wild A. cruentus. Amaranth is not only rich in macro and micronutrients, but the leaves also contain phytochemicals that vary between species and cultivated plants, and might, therefore, affect the medicinal properties of the material.
Highlights
Amaranthus has been rediscovered as a promising food crop mainly due to its resistance to biotic and abiotic factors and the high nutritional value of both seeds and leaves [1].Amaranth leaves are rich economic sources of carotenoids and proteins, including the essential amino acids methionine and lysine [2]
Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technologies were successfully used to tentatively identify compounds from wild and cultivated Amaranthus spp. namely, A. cruentus and A. hybridus collected from different areas
With regard to A. hybridus, cultivated samples accumulated more maltose, sucrose, proline, leucine and chlorogenic acid, compared with the quantities which were much lower in wild species
Summary
Amaranth leaves are rich economic sources of carotenoids and proteins, including the essential amino acids methionine and lysine [2]. Many studies have reported that Amaranth leaves are a rich source of diverse bioactive compounds such as gallic acid, ferulic acid, and quercetin which contribute to its health promoting attributes [5,6,7]. Ferulic acid, which has been isolated from Amaranth, possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial activity, anticancer, and antidiabetic effects [9]. Gallic acid, which is another constituent isolated from Amaranth, has been reported to have many beneficial effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antineoplastic properties [10]. Since various compounds in Amaranthus leaves have been linked to the plant’s health-promoting effects, it is important to better understand compound profiles depending on the conditions of cultivation and environmental factors
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