Bioactive Components of Leafy Vegetable Edible Amaranth (<i>Amaranthus mangostanus </i>L.) as Affected by Home Cooking Manners

Abstract

The objective of the current study is to investigate how home cooking, a common way for many societies to prepare vegetables before consumption, affect bioactive components and antioxidant capacities of a commonly consumed leafy vegetable edible amaranth. The amaranth was cooked by simmering, boiling, frying, blanching and steaming. The contents of total phenolics, anthocyanins, L-ascorbic acid, carotenoids, lutein, beta carotene and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) of edible amaranth were determined after the cooking by colorimetric assays. Home cooking proved to degrade anthocyanins but increased carotenoids. Steaming increased total phenol content (TPC) about 50% while simmering reduced 31.1% of TPC. Simmering, frying and blanching deduced L-ascorbic acid content by 18.6%, 17.2%, and 14.0%, respectively. Steaming increased L-ascorbic acid by 21.7%. Both lutein and beta-carotene content was reduced by frying but increased by other methods. FRAP values of cooked vegetable were higher than the raw counterpart, which indicated the cooking increased the antioxidant capacities of the edible amaranth.