Polyphenols and antioxidant activity in pseudocereals and their products

Abstract

Pseudocereals are important as gluten-free crops that could be utilized as functional foods. They contain proteins with high biological value and also bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds, flavonoids, vitamins, and minerals that can possess positive health effects on the body. Three types of pseudocereals (amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa) were evaluated for polyphenols and antioxidant activity. Spectrophotometric methods were used for the determination of free phenols amount with Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) with DPPH and ABTS reagents. Free phenols, the predominant part of polyphenols, were in pseudocereals in the range from 12.4 to 678.1 mg GAE.100g-1. The highest content of FP was found in buckwheat products (146.8 - 678.1 mg GAE.100g-1); quinoa and amaranth products reached much lower values (up to 226.1 mg GAE.100g-1). Antioxidant activity was in an agreement with the FP amounts order, the highest TAC values were again for buckwheat products (167.3 - 473.9 and 876.9 - 3524.8 mg TE.100g-1), followed by quinoa (78.2 - 100.6 and 738.9 - 984.5 mg TE.100g-1) and amaranth ones (25.0 - 69.7 and 118.2 - 431.4 mg TE.100g-1). A high positive correlation between FP amount and TAC values was evaluated for analyzed pseudocereals. The highest content of free phenols and the best antioxidant potential showed buckwheat wholemeal flour, so buckwheat could be characterized as a great source of free phenols with high antioxidant activity.