Abstract
The antioxidant activity and phenolic composition of the aerial part of Amaranthus caudatus at seven stages of development were investigated. Total phenolic content, ABTS•+, DPPH•, and O2•− scavenging activity, ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and Fe2+ chelating ability were evaluated. The phenolic profile was characterized by 17 compounds. Rutin was predominant in all growth stages, although its content, similar to the quantity of other phenolics, changed during the growth cycle. Flavonols were most abundant in the plants of early flowering and grain fill stages. In contrast, the highest content of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives was found in the early vegetative stage. The results of antioxidant assays also showed significant differences among plant stages. Generally, the lowest antioxidant activity was found in the shooting and budding stages. Significantly higher activity was observed in amaranths in earlier (vegetative) and later (early flowering and grain fill) stages, suggesting that plants in these stages are valuable sources of antioxidants.
Highlights
Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) is a gluten-free pseudocereal that is cultivated primarily in Mexico and South America, and thrives in all temperate-tropical areas of the world [1]
In a previous paper [25], we reported the nutritive characteristics of A. caudatus, and in particular, we evaluated the effects of plant aging on the chemical composition, gross energy, in vitro true digestibility, neutral detergent fiber digestibility and fatty acid profile
Li et al [19] compared phenolic contents of different botanical parts of three Amaranthus species (A. hypochondriacus, A. caudatus, and A. cruentus) and found that the leaves had the highest Total phenolic (TPC) while the seeds and stalks contained the lowest
Summary
Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) is a gluten-free pseudocereal that is cultivated primarily in Mexico and South America, and thrives in all temperate-tropical areas of the world [1]. There has been a renewed interest in this ancient and highly nutritious food crop due to the excellent nutritional value of seed and leaves [2,3,4]. Vitamins and precursors of vitamins (ascorbic acid, riboflavin, tocols, carotenoids), as well as minerals (Ca, Fe, Mg, K, Cu, Zn, and Mn) are other important nutrients present in seeds and leaves of amaranth. Their contents are high compared to these in some cereals and green leafy vegetables [1,2,4]. Nutrient composition causes an increasing interest in amaranth as a food ingredient, especially in the production of gluten-free products [6,7]
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