Leaf pigmentation, its profiles and radical scavenging activity in selected Amaranthus tricolor leafy vegetables

Abstract

The selected A. tricolor accessions contained abundant color attributes, betacyanin, carotenoids, betalains, betaxanthins, and antioxidants potentiality that varied in terms of genotypes. For the first time, we identified 4 betacyanins, and 5 carotenoid compounds in A. tricolor genotypes. The genotype VA14 and VA16 had abundant color attributes, betacyanin such as amaranthine, iso-amaranthine, betanin, iso-betanin, and antioxidants potentiality. These two genotypes having an excellent source of color attributes, betacyanins, betalains, betaxanthins, and antioxidants potentiality could be used as potent antioxidant varieties. The genotype VA11 and VA16 had abundant carotenoid components, such as zeaxanthin, lutein, violaxanthin, neoxanthin, total xanthophylls, and beta-carotene. The genotype VA11 and VA16 had abundant carotenoid components that could be used as carotenoid enrich varieties. It revealed from the correlation study that pigment profiles of A. tricolor genotypes exhibited high quenching capacity of radicals. These accessions have high antioxidant potentials and great opportunity to make drinks, preservatives, and colorant of food products to feed the community deficient in antioxidants. The identified components of betacyanins and carotenoids in A. tricolor require comprehensive pharmacological study. The baseline data on color attributes, betacyanins profile, carotenoids profile, betaxanthins, betalains and antioxidant potentiality obtained in the present study could contribute to pharmacologists for evaluating these components scientifically in A. tricolor.

Figure 1

Color attributes in four selected A. tricolor leafy vegetables, L*, Lightness; a*, Redness/greenness; b*, Yellowness/blueness, different letters in the bar are differed significantly by Duncan Multiple Range Test ((P < 0.01), (n = 3).

Figure 2

Betacyanin profiles in four selected A. tricolor leafy vegetables, Amaranthine (mg 100 g⁻¹), Iso-amaranthine (mg 100 g⁻¹), Betanin (mg 100 g⁻¹), Iso-betanin (mg 100 g⁻¹), Total betacyanin (mg 100 g⁻¹), different letters in the bar are differed significantly by Duncan Multiple Range Test ((P < 0.01), (n = 3).

Figure 3

Carotenoid profiles (mg 100 g⁻¹ FW) in four selected A. tricolor leafy vegetables, different letters in the bar are differed significantly by Duncan Multiple Range Test ((P < 0.01), (n = 3).

Figure 4

Percentage of zeaxanthin, lutein, violaxanthin, neoxanthin, total xanthophyll and beta-carotene to the total carotenoids in four selected A. tricolor leafy vegetables, different letters in the bar are differed significantly by Duncan Multiple Range Test ((P < 0.01), (n = 3).

Figure 5

Betaxanthins, betalins, and antioxidant capacity in four selected A. tricolor leafy vegetables, betaxanthins (mg 100 g⁻¹ FW), betalains (mg 100 g⁻¹ FW), AC (DPPH) = Antioxidant capacity (DPPH) (TEAC µg g⁻¹ DW), AC (ABTS⁺) = Antioxidant capacity (ABTS⁺) (TEAC µg g⁻¹ DW), different letters in the blue and green bars are differed significantly by Duncan Multiple Range Test ((P < 0.01), (n = 3).