Characterization of the Phenolic Compounds in Different Plant Parts of Amaranthus cruentus Grown under Cultivated Conditions.

Tlou Grace Manyelo,Monnye Mabelebele,Zahra Mohammed Hassan,Nthabiseng Amenda Sebola

doi:10.3390/molecules25184273

Abstract

Phenolic compounds that are present in amaranth crops have gained a lot of interest from researchers due to their health benefits potential. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate phenolic compounds present in different plant parts of Amaranthus cruentus using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Moreover, data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance of the statistical analysis software, whereas commercial statistical package version 4.02 was used for principal component analysis. A total of 21 phenolic compounds were detected and eight were not identified. Caffeoylsaccharic acid isomer, coumaoryl saccharic acid, tryptophan, feruloyl-d-saccharic acid isomer a, b, and c, caffeoyl isocitrate, quercetin 3-O-rhamnosyl-rhamnosyl-glucoside, feruloyl isocitrate, hyperoside, kaempferol rutinoside, and alkaloid compounds were mostly detected in tender and mature leaves. Generally, rutin content was higher (p < 0.05) in most vegetative parts of the amaranth plant, thus, late maturity leaves, tender leaves, and mature leaves, respectively. Lower quantities of rutin were observed in tender grains, flowers, and mature grains. It can be concluded that amaranth contains phenolic compounds, predominantly in the vegetative parts, which makes it to be a promising source of phenolic compounds beneficial to human health.

Highlights

The quest to search for bioactive compounds of natural origin will always remain a core objective of many researchers
It can be concluded that the type and quantity of the phenolic compounds in amaranth, varies across the plant parts and harvest stages
Tender and mature leaves have been shown to be richer in phenolic compounds than late maturity leaves, mature grains, tender grains, and flowers

Summary

Introduction

The quest to search for bioactive compounds of natural origin will always remain a core objective of many researchers. Several research papers have indicated that plant-derived polyphenols have anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and anti-proliferative properties [3,4] and, have been shown to help reduce the risk of chronic illnesses [2]. A thriving polyphenol market is estimated to increase due to recent demand and market size [5]. It is indicated that global demand for polyphenols in 2025 is expected to reach USD 1904.1 million [5], which is a clear indication of how important these compounds are. Polyphenols have been shown to control aging and degenerative diseases due to their ability to inhibit cyclooxygenases and lipoxygenaseenzyme enzymes involved in inflammation [6] or acetylcholinesterase [7], associated with neurodegenerative diseases

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