Abstract
Amaranthus species are widely used as grain and leaf vegetables around the world and are potential dietary sources of antioxidants and phenolic compounds. In this study, we examined the variation in total flavonoid contents, total polyphenol contents, and antioxidant activities among 120 accessions of nine Amaranthus species. The antioxidant activity of DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) of the 120 amaranth accessions ranged from 1.1 (A. tricolor) to 75.2 (A. tricolor mg ascorbic acid equivalents (AAE)/g in 2018, and 8.5 (A. tricolor) to 68.8 (A. dubius) mg AAE/g in 2019. ABTS (2,2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline 6-sulfonate)) antioxidant activity ranged from 16.7 (A. tricolor) to 78.3 (A. hypochondriacus) mg AAE/g in 2018, and 36.6 (A. tricolor) to 79.2 (A. dubius) mg AAE/g in 2019. Total flavonoid content (TFC) of 2018 and 2019 ranged from 21.7 (A. caudatus) to 52.7 (A. hybridus) and from 22.3 (A. viridis) to 54.7 (A. tricolor), respectively Antioxidant activities were compared using two methods and all components were measured in plants grown both in 2018 and 2019. We identified wide variation among the accessions and between plants grown in the two years. Antioxidant activities and phytochemical contents were consistently negatively correlated. The nine species and 120 accessions clustered into three groups according to their antioxidant activities, total flavonoid contents, and total polyphenol contents in each year. These results provide information about the nutritional profiles of different Amaranthus species.
Highlights
Amaranth or pigweed (Amaranthus spp.) is a gluten-free pseudocereal that belongs to the Amaranthaceae family and includes approximately 70 species
The results of this study highlight the potential of 120 Amaranthus accessions from nine species to be used as sources of phytochemicals and antioxidants
The latest studies underline the beneficial impact of hydrolysates and bioactive peptides of Amaranthus sp. as free radical scavengers and mainly influenced by peptide molecular weight, structure, and its amino acid composition [44]
Summary
Amaranth or pigweed (Amaranthus spp.) is a gluten-free pseudocereal that belongs to the Amaranthaceae family and includes approximately 70 species. Members of this herbaceous genus are mainly grown in Mexico and South America but thrive across the world, from cool-temperate to tropical regions [1,2]. The most commonly cultivated amaranth species are the grain species Amaranthus caudatus, Amaranthus cruentus, and Amaranthus hypochondriacus. The leafy amaranth species Amaranthus hybridus and Amaranthus tricolor are cultivated, but to a lesser extent [3]. Adapts well to challenging growth environments, and has no major diseases [3]. Amaranthus extracts were reported to have antioxidant, antimalarial, and antiviral properties [4,5,6,7,8]
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