Nutraceuticals, phytochemicals, and radical quenching ability of selected drought-tolerant advance lines of vegetable amaranth.

BACKGROUND: Vegetable amaranth is a source of natural phytopigments and functional components of the commercial food industry for sustainable health benefits across the globe. It is guessed that recently identified amaranth (drought-tolerant) genotypes may contain ample phytopigments and phytochemicals suitable to extract juice as drinks. Hence, phytopigments and phytochemicals content of amaranth were assessed in detail for suitability as drinks to feed the phytochemicals deficient community across the globe. RESULTS: The selected amaranth contained adequate carbohydrates, protein, moisture, and dietary fiber, phytopigments, minerals, phytochemicals including the ability to scavenge radicals. Nine flavonoids compounds were estimated in amaranth genotypes including six flavonols, one flavanol, one flavone, and one flavanone. It is the first effort in which we identified one flavonol such as myricetin, one flavanol, such as catechin, one flavone i. e., apigenin, and one flavanone, like naringenin in drought-tolerant vegetable amaranth. Across six flavonols, quercetin and rutin were the most noteworthy compounds followed by myricetin and isoquercetin. Across the accessions, AT7 and AT15 had abundant phytochemicals, and radical quenching ability including considerable proximate, nutraceuticals, and phytopigments in comparison to the accessions AT3 and AT11. AT15 demonstrated the maximum total flavonols including the highest rutin and hyperoside. AT7 showed high total flavonols including the highest quercetin, isoquercetin, myricetin, and kaempferol. The association of values revealed that studied phytopigments and phytochemicals of vegetable amaranth accessions demonstrated good radical quenching ability of 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and 2,2- Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl equivalent to Trolox. CONCLUSIONS: These advance lines AT7 and AT15 had abundant nutraceuticals, phytopigments, and phytochemicals including radical quenching ability. These lines might significantly contribute to the promotion of health benefits and feeding the community across the globe deficit in nutraceuticals and antioxidants. Identified flavonoid compounds open the new route for pharmacological study.

Nutritional and bioactive constituents and scavenging capacity of radicals in Amaranthus hypochondriacus.

A. hypochondriacus leaves contained ample phytopigments including betalain, anthocyanin, ß-xanthin, ß-cyanin, and bioactive phytochemicals of interest in the industry of food. We have been evaluating the possibility of utilizing phytopigments of amaranth and bioactive constituents for making drinks. Therefore, we evaluated bioactive phytopigments and compounds including the potentiality of antioxidants in A. hypochondriacus leaves. A. hypochondriacus leaves have abundant protein, carbohydrates, and dietary fiber. We found considerable levels of inorganic minerals including magnesium, calcium, potassium (3.88, 3.01, 8.56 mg g-1), zinc, manganese, copper, iron (16.23, 15.51, 2.26, 20.57 µg g-1), chlorophyll b, chlorophyll ab chlorophyll a (271.08, 905.21, 636.87 µg g-1), scavenging capacity of radicals (DPPH, ABTS+) (33.46, 62.92 TEAC µg g-1 DW), total polyphenols (29.34 GAE µg g-1 FW), ß-xanthin, betalain, ß-cyanin (584.71, 1,121.93, 537.21 ng g-1), total flavonoids (170.97 RE µg g-1 DW), vitamin C, ß-carotene, carotenoids (184.77, 82.34, 105.08 mg 100 g-1) in A. hypochondriacus leaves. The genotypes AHC6, AHC4, AHC11, AHC5, and AHC10 had a good scavenging capacity of radicals. Polyphenols, phytopigments, flavonoids, and ß-carotene of A. hypochondriacus had potential antioxidant activity. Extracted juice of A. hypochondriacus can be an ample source of phytopigments and compounds for detoxification of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and attaining nutritional and antioxidant sufficiency.

Nutritional and antioxidant components and antioxidant capacity in green morph Amaranthus leafy vegetable.

Amaranth has two morphological types described as red and green morphs. Previous studies have extensively characterised red morph amaranth regarding both morphological and chemical properties including antioxidant activity, antioxidant phytochemical profile, mineral content and proximate composition. However, there is scarce information concerning green morph amaranth. Hence, the present study evaluated 12 green morph genotypes for proximate composition, antioxidant activity, antioxidant pigments, minerals, and phytochemicals. Green morph amaranth was found to contain abundant carbohydrates, dietary fiber and protein. We found notable levels of inorganic minerals including potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, copper and zinc. Antioxidant capacity quantified as free radical quenching capacity varied between 27 and 48 µg g-1 Trolox equivalents. We additionally quantified antioxidants, including total phenolics, total flavonoid equivalents and vitamin C, as well as the antioxidant pigments carotenoids, chlorophylls and betalains. These data indicated that four green morph genotypes could be considered as enriched in their antioxidant profiles. Green morph amaranth could be a potential source of nutritional components and antioxidant phytochemicals in the human diet providing opportunities to address mineral nutrient deficiencies and provide an antioxidant rich food.

Nutraceuticals, antioxidant pigments, and phytochemicals in the leaves of Amaranthus spinosus and Amaranthus viridis weedy species.

Six selected weedy Amaranthus genotypes (three accessions from each species of A. viridis and A. spinosus) were evaluated in terms of nutrients, minerals, antioxidant constituents and antioxidant activity for the possibilities of weedy species as a vegetable cultivar in a randomized complete block design with three replications. As leafy vegetable, Weedy Amaranthus has remarkable protein, dietary fiber, carbohydrates, Ca, K, Mg, P, S, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Na, Mo, B, chlorophylls, ß-cyanins, ß-xanthins, betalains, ß-carotene, vitamin C, TPC, TFC, and TAC (DPPH and ABTS+) compared to any cultivated species. The A. viridis genotype WAV7 and A. spinosus genotype WAS13 had the highest nutrients, pigments, vitamins, phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant. Hence, these two weedy accessions could be used as an antioxidant profile enriched cultivar with high nutritional and antioxidant activity. Pigments, ß-carotene, vitamin C, phenolics, and flavonoids had strong antioxidant activity and played a vital role in the antioxidant activity of weedy Amaranthus genotypes. Weedy species are an excellent source of phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidants that have many pharmacological and medicinal effects of their traditional applications and detoxify ROS and offered huge prospects for feeding the antioxidant-deficient community to cope with the hidden hunger and attaining nutritional and antioxidant sufficiency.