Pharmacogn J.

2019; 11(3):588-593
A Multifaceted Journal in the field of Natural Products and Pharmacognosy
Original Article
www.phcogj.com

Antioxidant Activity of the Germinated Seed of Four Varieties of

Amaranthus caudatus L. from Peru
Enrique Javier Aguilar-Felices1, Marta Romero-Viacava2, Edwin Enciso-Roca1, Oscar Herrera-Calderon3*,
Pablo Común-Ventura1, Ricardo Ángel Yuli-Posadas4, Luz Chacaltana-Ramos5, Bertha Pari-Olarte5

ABSTRACT
Introduction: The objective of this study was to determine the antioxidant activity of four
varieties of germinated seeds of Centenario, Cristalino, Oscar Blanco and Taray of Amaranthus
Enrique Javier Aguilar- caudatus L. compared to non-germinated seeds. Material and Methods: The determination
of total phenols was carried out by using Folin-Ciocalteu, total flavonoids by the method of
Felices1, Marta Romero-
aluminum chloride and the antioxidant activity by the methods of DPPH, ABTS and FRAP.
Viacava2, Edwin Enciso-Roca1,
Results: Cristalino variety had the highest germination (3.0 cm of height) and all varieties had a
Oscar Herrera-Calderon3,*, 50% germination rate. Cristalino and Taray varieties had the highest content of total phenolics
Pablo Común-Ventura1, (GAE 32.92 and 35.00 mg/g sample), Cristalino variety had higher content of flavonoids (580.95
Ricardo Yuli-Posadas4, Luz mg QE/g) (P < 0.05); Cristalino and Taray varieties showed greater scavenging activity of DPPH
Chacaltana-Ramos5, Bertha radical (151.85 and 151.38 mg TE/g sample), ABTS (178.09 and 180.18 mg TE/g sample); and
Pari-Olarte5 reducing capacity of the ferric ion (FRAP) (132.75 and 136.42 mg TE/g of sample). Conclusion:
Sprouts of Cristalino and Taray varieties had higher antioxidant activity than non-germinated
1
Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of seeds and they are directly related to higher content of total phenols and flavonoids.
Health Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Key words: Amaranthus caudatus L., germinated seeds, phenolics, antioxidant activity.
San Cristóbal de Huamanga, Ayacucho,
PERU.
2
Laboratory of Botany, Faculty of Biological
Sciences, Universidad Nacional San
INTRODUCTION Also, the seeds are almost globose, smooth, shiny,
pale ivory dark brown, or reddish.3 Selected varieties
Cristóbal de Huamanga, Ayacucho, PERU. The genus Amaranthus is highly diverse, includes are mainly achieved in Cusco, based on genetic
3
Laboratory of Pharmacognosy and about 70 species of which the most important are
Traditional Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy material from Tarija (Bolivia), such as varieties
and Biochemistry, Universidad Nacional Amaranthus cruentus, Amaranthus caudatus and Vietmayer Noel and Oscar Blanco, they are the most
Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, PERU. Amaranthus hypochondriacus. They are valued for widespread. Consuelo variety is the recent selection.
4
Universidad Continental, Huancayo, PERU. their high protein content and many nutraceutical The Ayacuchana variety selected in Ayacucho,
5
Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, properties. Several chemical analyzes have shown has shown very good yields about 3000 kg/ha.
Universidad Nacional San Luis Gonzaga, that accumulate various types of secondary
Ica, PERU. In Cajamarca, they have been obtained varieties
metabolites, especially phenolic acids, flavonoids
such as San Luis, Otusco and Red Cajamarca. In
Correspondence and other polyphenols, produced by high
Bolivia, it is selected Cahuayuma variety of excellent
Dr. Oscar Herrera Calderon antioxidant activity. This activity has been linked
performance and the varieties: Pairumani 1 and
Department of Pharmacology, to epidemiologically with diseases produced by the
Bromatology, Toxicology, Faculty of Pairumani 2 from Cochabamba.4 It has reported
stress oxidative, such as cancer and cardiovascular
Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Universidad the presence of phenolic compounds in seeds of two
Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, diseases. Amaranthus caudatus L. particularly
varieties of Amaranthus cruentus L. and antioxidant
PERU. has reported the presence of flavonoids, phenolic
acids, tannins, steroid and triterpenoid saponins, activity.5 It has also determined the content of total
Tel. +51956550510
amarantolidosidos, carotenoids and phytates. phenols, phenolic acids and antioxidant activity
E-mail: [email protected]
While phenylpropanoids present in seeds are: of Amaranthus caudatus L. seeds and Amaranthus
History
total phenolic acids, p-coumaric acid, ferulic paniculatus by the bleaching method of β - carotene
• Submission Date: 25-03-2019;
acid, protocatechuic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, seeds.5 Also, it has been reported the phenolic content
• Review completed: 12-04-2019;
caffeic acid, salicylic acid, flavonoids like rutin and antioxidant activity of Amaranthus caudatus L.
• Accepted Date: 19-04-2019.
and quercetin: and germinated the presence of seeds, when are affected by cooking and germinated.6
DOI : 10.5530/pj.2019.11.93
protocatechuic acid.1 The methods used in determining antioxidant
Article Available online
Amaranthus caudatus L. is a slightly woody annual, activity of chemical compounds present in plants,
http://www.phcogj.com/v11/i3
herbaceous, whose colors of panicles varies of have evolved as they have better techniques,
Copyright green, yellow and red to purple. Inflorescences which are more selective to detect the antioxidant
© 2019 Phcogj.Com. This is an open- can be amarantiform or glomerulate, they are very capacity of water-soluble compounds and soluble.
access article distributed under the terms
attractive and can vary from upright to falls or Several authors have reviewed these methods in
of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International license. prostrate with varied colors. The seed is very small, order to analize which are the best to determine
smooth, shiny, generally white in color, although the antioxidant capacity in foods and dietary
there is yellow, red and wild amaranth are black.2 supplements.7,8

Cite this article: Aguilar-Felices EJ, Romero-Viacava M, Enciso-Roca E, Herrera-Calderon O,

Común-Ventura P, Yuli-Posadas RA, et al. Antioxidant Activity of the Germinated Seed of Four
Varieties of Amaranthus caudatus L. from Peru. Pharmacog J. 2019;11(3):588-93.

588 Pharmacognosy Journal, Vol 11, Issue 3, May-June, 2019

 Enrique-Aguilar, et al.: Antioxidant Activity of the Germinated Seed of Four Varieties of Amaranthus Caudatus L. from Peru

In the process of obtaining the sprouts, the germination percentage is Determination of Flavonoids
determined as an indicator of performance, for which germinated seeds
of Chenopodium quinoa Willd "Quinoa" is referenced as model.9 The flavonoid content was determined using the method described by
Arroyo-Acevedo et al., 14 0.50 mL of extract was mixed with 0.50 mL
This research was conducted considering as general objective to of distilled water and 0.15 mL of sodium nitrite solution 5% in a test
determine the content of phenolics and antioxidant activity of four tube, then, mixed with a Vortex. After 5 minutes, 0.15 mL of solution
varieties of sprouts of Amaranthus caudatus L. collected in the of aluminum chloride 10% was added and mixed with a Vortex. After
Experimental Station of the National Institute for Agricultural Research 6 minutes, 2.0 mL of sodium hydroxide 4% was added to the mixture.
- Ayacucho – Peru. Immediately, the solution was made up to 5.0 mL with distilled water
and mixed with a Vortex. The absorbance of the final mixture was
MATERIAL AND METHODS determined at 510 nm against a blank reaction with spectrophotometer
UV - Vis GENESYS 6. A calibration curve was prepared with quercetin
Collection plant (8.0: 16.0; 24.0; 32.0; 40.0 ug/mL). The flavonoid content of the
This research was conducted at the Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, extracts was expressed as mg quercetin equivalents/g of sample (mg
Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences and the Laboratory QE/g).
of Botany of the Faculty of Biological Sciences of the Universidad
Determination of antioxidant activity by the method
Nacional San Cristobal de Huamanga, during the months of January
and December 2017.
of free radical 1,1-diphenyl - picryl - hidrazyl (DPPH)
The method described by Hossain et al.15 In summary, an aliquot of the
164 g seeds of the variety "Taray", 197 g seed of the variety "Oscar
extract (50 µL) was added to 1950 uL of a methanol solution (100 µM)
Blanco", 228 g seed of the variety "Cristalino", 151 g seed of the variety
DPPH free radical. After stirring, the mixture was incubated in the dark
"Centenario" were provided and certified by the National Institute for
for 30 minutes and the absorbance was measured at 517 nm in a UV -
Agricultural Research and Experimentation of Ayacucho (INIEA - Vis GENESYS 6. The percentage of scavenging free radical activity was
Ayacucho). The seeds were in good condition. calculated according to the following equation:
Obtaining sprouts of Amaranthus caudatus L. A − AMP 
Inhibition of DPPH radical (%)=  DPPH  ×100
10 g seed of each variety were washed with hypochlorite 0.02% (w/v)  ADPPH 
for 20 minutes, and several times with distilled water. Next, they were
A standard curve with Trolox (25-800 µM) was prepared. The results
placed on absorbent paper moistened with distilled water in glass. The
were expressed as mg equivalent Trolox/g of sample (mg TE/g of
seeds were incubated at 37 °C from 4 to 6 days until the germinated.
sample).
Then, it was dried at 40 °C for 24 hours, then crushed using a porcelain
mortar and stored at below 0 °C until further use.10 Determination of antioxidant activity by the
The length of germinated was determined using a rule, recording the method of the cation radical of 2,2'-azinobis acid-(3-
length in cm. Also, the germination percentage was determined,11 ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS+.)
Using the following formula:
The procedure described by Uddin et al.16 A solution pattern (SP)
number of germinated seeds consisting of 7.4 mM of ABTS and 2.6 mM of potassium persulfate are
Percentage of germination (%)= ×100 allowed to react for 12 hours. The working solution (WS) was prepared
total number of seeds at the beginning
from 1 mL of WS dissolved in methanol and the absorbance was
Non-germinated seeds were dried at 40ºC in an oven and then were adjusted to 1.1 ± 0.02 mL, diluted with methanol at a wavelength of 734
crushed using a porcelain mortar until a fine powder, which were stored nm. The sample (150 uL) was mixed with 2850 uL of ABTS solution and
allowed to react in the dark for 2 hours and the absorbance at 734 nm
in amber vials until analysis.
was read in a spectrophotometer GENESYS 6. A standard curve with
Obtaining extracts Trolox was prepared (25-600 mg). The results were expressed as mg
equivalent Trolox/g of sample (mg TE/g of sample).
Five grams of germinated seed and seed non-germinated were
extracted with 50 mL of methanol (1:10) using a magnetic stirrer for 4 Determination of antioxidant activity by the method
hours. It was centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 30 minutes, the supernatant of reduced iron (FRAP)
was recovered and poured into a flask volumeter of 50 mL volume and
carried with methanol. Each of the extracts was kept refrigerated until It was performed according to the procedure described by Herrera et
al.17 The standard solution includes 300 mM acetate buffer pH 3.6; 10
further use.12
mM 2,4,6 – tripyridyl-triazine (TPTZ) dissolved in a solution of HCl
Determination of total phenols 40 mM Y 20 mM FeCl3.6H2O solution. The working solution (WS)
was obtained by mixing and heating to 37°C, 25 mL of acetate buffer
The total phenolic content was determined using the Folin - Ciocalteu, with 2.5 mL TPTZ solution and 2.5 ml of FeCl3 solution. 150 uL of
following the method described by Hossain et al.13 50 uL of extracts sample was mixed with 2850 uL of WS solution, allowed to react for 30
obtained from germinated and non-germinated seeds were diluted minutes and the absorbance at 593 nm was read in a spectrophotometer
and mixed with 0.5 mL of Folin - Ciocalteu and 2.5 mL of 1N sodium GENESYS 6. A standard curve with Trolox (25-800 mg) was prepared.
carbonate solution 5%. The mixture was incubated in the dark for 40 The results were expressed as mg equivalent Trolox/g of sample (mg
minutes at room temperature (20°C). After incubation, the absorbance TE/g of sample).
was measured at 725 nm using a UV - Vis GENESYS 6. A calibration
curve with gallic acid was prepared (0.0; 0.05; 0.10; 0.15; 0.20; 0.25; 0.30 Analysis of data
mg/mL). The results were expressed in mg gallic acid equivalents per The data obtained are presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD).
gram of sample (mg GAE/g sample). All experiments were done in triplicate. The differences between the

Pharmacognosy Journal, Vol 11, Issue 3, May-June, 2019 589

 Enrique-Aguilar, et al.: Antioxidant Activity of the Germinated Seed of Four Varieties of Amaranthus Caudatus L. from Peru

means of each species were analyzed by analysis of variance test factor phenolic content in an ethanolic extract of Amaranthus caudatus seeds
and Tukey multiple comparisons; and differences between germinated L., determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu was 39.17 mg/100 g sample,
and non-germinated seeds, by an analysis of variance of two factors; all without reporting the variety used also quantitated content free by
with a confidence level of 95% (α = 0.05) using the statistical package high performance liquid chromatography resolution reverse phase
version 20 SPPS. (RP-HPLC) phenolic acids, for protocatechuic acid (4.65 mg/g),
p-hydroxybenzoic acid (20.89 mg/g), caffeic acid (55, 79 mg/g),
RESULTS p-coumaric acid (5.20 g/g), ferulic acid (18.41 mg/g) and salicylic acid
Tables 1-3. (1.92 g/g) respectively, a total of 106.86 g/g seed phenolic acids. In
another study, the polyphenol content reported in seeds and germinated
DISCUSSION seeds of Amaranthus caudatus L. using the Folin-Ciocalteu, being at
21.2 ± 2.3 mg EAG/100 g dry seeds sample and germinated seeds the
Cristalalino variety of Amaranthus caudatus L. was reaching higher and
82.2 ± 4.6 mg EAG/100 g dry sample, respectively.20 However, they
the variety Taray lower height which reached during the germination
reported that, in the germinating seed, the phenolic content increased
process (Table 1). Germination conditions were 100 seeds, average
to four times, respect to non-germinated seeds.
temperature of 37°C and the germination period was 6 days. There is
a report of seed germination of Amaranthus caudatus L. in 6 days, for In our case, the average increase in four varieties were 4.2 times. Also,
which the variety INIAP Ecuador was used; while in our research four we had the highest average recovery, since our results are expressed by g
varieties were evaluated and all showed the same period of germination. sample and theirs by100 g shows. This could be explained because they
The germination period of another Andean grain Chenopodium used only 1.25 g sample in 25 mL of methanol, while in our case we used
quinoa was three days.18 This can be explained by the morphological 5.0 g sample in 50 mL of methanol. The influence of cultivar on total
characteristics of grain apparently the cover of Amaranthus caudatus phenol content in the seeds of Amaranthus caudatus L., using the Folin-
L. seeds is thicker and takes longer soften the protective cover making Ciocalteu was determined for the Golden Giant, Rawa, Annapurna,
possible the interaction of water with the nutritional starch.19 Oscar Blanco and Konitz varieties grown in the Research Center for
Plant production of the Slovak Republic, as expressed as mg EAG/kg
Table 2 shows that the germinated seed of Centenario, Cristalino,
dry matter were to Golden Giant (2548.75 ± 114.75), Rawa (1381.05 ±
Oscar Blanco and Taray varieties have higher content of total phenols
77.68), Annapurna (± 2869.90 74.29), Oscar Blanco (1634.10 ± 61.51)
and flavonoids compared to non-germinated seeds. In regard to total
and Koniz (1807 ± 128.68) respectively.21
phenols, it was increased 2.9 times in the variety Oscar Blanco to 5.5
times in the variety Taray. Also, the variety Taray has higher content We report for the variety Oscar Blanco contains 7.20 mg/g dry sample
of phenolics and variety Oscar Blanco had a lower content. The total and they report an equivalent of 1,634 mg/g dry sample, which

Table 1: Height of sprout and germination percentage of the seeds of

four varieties of Amaranthus caudatus L.
Variety Height (cm) Germination (%)
Oscar Blanco 1.5 ± 0.04 50
Cristalino 3.0 ± 0.02 50
Centenario 2.0 ± 0.01 50
Taray 1.0 ± 0.01 50

Table 2: Contents of total phenols and flavonoids of non-germinated and germinated seeds of four varieties of Amaranthus caudatus L.
Total phenols Flavonoids
Variety (Mg GAE/g of sample)* (QE mg/g sample)**
Non-germinated germinated Non-germinated germinated
Centenario 5.64 ± 0.5 20.83 ± 0.6* 156.71 ± 0.1 228.57 ± 0.2*
Cristalino 6.78 ± 0.3 32.92 ± 0.5* 212.55 ± 0.2 580.95 ± 0.1**
Oscar Blanco 7.20 ± 0.1 19.94 ± 0.5* 196.54 ± 0.1 467.10 ± 0.1**
Taray 6.36 ± 0.1 35.00 ± 0.8 295.57 ± 0.1 230.74 ± 0.1*
*
P < 0.05
**
P < 0.01

Table 3: DPPH scavenging capacity, and reducing iron ABTS (FRAP) of phenolic compounds present in the non-germinated seeds germinated and four
varieties of Amaranthus caudatus L. "Amaranth".
Antioxidant capacity Antioxidant capacity Reducing capacity
DPPH ABTS iron (FRAP)
Variety
(mg TE/g of sample)* (mg TE/g sample)** (mg TE/g sample)***
Non-germinated germinated Non-germinated germinated Non-germinated germinated
Centenario 98.73 ± 0.2 149,62 ± 4.5* 72.45 ± 5.0 155.94 ± 10.0* 51.05 ± 1.1 102,38 ± 6.0*
Cristalino 107.85 ± 0.3 151.85 ± 5.1*** 75,99 ± 3.0 178.09 ± 7.1** 67.63 ± 1.1 132.75 ± 5.1**
Oscar Blanco 108.91 ± 0.5 150.09 ± 6.0** 84.90 ± 5.0 164.06 ± 7.6* 65.11 ± 3.0 110.47 ± 0 9.0*
Taray 99.61 ± 0.1 151.38 ± 5.1*** 69.05 ± 3.0 180.18 ± 8.0** 54.28 ± 1.0 136.42 ± 8.0**
*
P < 0.05
**
P < 0.01
***
P< 0.001

590 Pharmacognosy Journal, Vol 11, Issue 3, May-June, 2019

 Enrique-Aguilar, et al.: Antioxidant Activity of the Germinated Seed of Four Varieties of Amaranthus Caudatus L. from Peru

represents about 4.4 times in our study. The reason could be that germinated increased iron reducing capacity 1.7 times for variety Oscar
this species is native to the Andes and can influence its genetics and Blanco and 2.5 times for variety Taray.
biochemistry, leading to increased production of phenolic compounds.
Consequently, as a result of this investigation it was shown that the
Regarding the content of flavonoids, it is observed that the germinated germinated seeds of Amaranthus caudatus L. "Amaranth", increase
seed of Centenario, Cristalino, Oscar Blanco and Taray varieties have the content of phenolic compounds, in turn producing an increase in
higher total flavonoid content compared to seeds without germinating. antioxidant activity.
Also, the Cristalino variety has higher content of flavonoids and variety
Taray the lower content. Content was increased 0.8 times for variety CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Taray and 2.7 times for Cristalino variety, averaging 1.8 times
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Table 3 shows that the germinated seed of Centenario, Cristalino, Oscar
Blanco and Taray varieties had greater scavenging activity of the free ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
radical DPPH free radical ABTS and iron reducer (FRAP), compared Authors thanks to the Universidad Nacional de San Cristóbal de
to seeds without germinate. In the case of DPPH radical scavenging Huamanga for funding this research project and the facilities in the use
activity, variety Oscar Blanco had the highest scavenging activity and of its laboratories. The National Institute of Agricultural Research and
variety of lower activity Centenario. The difference between varieties Experimentation-Ayacucho (INIEA-Ayacucho), for providing samples
was significant (p < 0.05). It was also noted that the Centenario and white of Amaranthus caudatus L.
varieties Oscar had the lowest sequestering capacity; and Tamarisk and
Cristalino varieties had the highest scavenging activity. Furthermore, Financial support and sponsorship
when comparing the scavenging activity between seeds was performed
Nil.
non-germinated and germinated seed, a highly significant difference
(p < 0,05). In a report in which the variety is not required, the free ABBREVIATIONS
radical scavenging ability DPPH in seeds (28.4 ± 1.3 mg ET/100 g of dry
sample) and germinated seeds was determined (27, 1 ± 2.7 mg ET/100 DPPH: 1,1-Diphenyl-Picryl–Hidrazyl; ABTS: 2,2'-Azinobis Acid-
g of dry sample) of Amaranthus caudatus L. respectively. As noted, they (3-Ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-Sulfonic Acid; FRAP: Ferric Reducing
found no differences between seeds and germinated seeds; In our study, Antioxidant Power; TE: Trolox Equivalent.
we can see that in general, the germinated increased DPPH radical
scavenging ability of up to 1.5 times. When the free radical scavenging REFERENCES
ability of DPPH in five varieties expressed in mmol ET/kg dry matter was 1. Castrillón - Arbelaez P, Delano P. Secondary Metabolism in Amaranthus spp.
evaluated, the results were for Golden Giant (2.32 ± 0.49), Rawa (3.00 - A Genomic Approach to Understand Its Responsiveness to Diversity and
Stress in marginally Studied Agronomic Crops with High Potential. In: Abiotic
± 0.40) Annapurna (3.90 ± 1.46), Oscar Blanco (4.64 ± 0.57) and Koniz and Biotic Stress in Plants. Recent Advances and Future Perspectives. India: In
(2.46 ± 0.51) respectively.22 In this case, despite having a low content of Tech. 2016;85-227.
phenol compounds it had greater DPPH radical scavenging ability. In 2. Herrera-Calderon O, Alvarado-Puray C, Arroyo-Acevedo JL, Rojas-Armas JP,
our research, the variety Oscar Blanco also had a good DPPH radical Chumpitaz-Cerrate V, Hañari-Quispe R, et al. Phytochemical screening, total
scavenging activity, but less than the Taray and Centenario varieties. phenolic content, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activity of five peruvian plants on
human tumor cell lines. Pharmacognosy Res. 2018; 10(2): 161-65.
On the other hand, regarding the free radical scavenging activity ABTS,
the germinated seed of Centenario, Cristalino, Oscar Blanco and Taray 3. Achigan-Dako EG, Sogbohossou O, Maundu P. Current knowledge on
Amaranthus spp: research avenues for nutritional value and improve increase
varieties had higher scavenging activity without germinating seeds (p yield in leafy amaranthus in sub - Saharian Africa. Euphytica Springer.
< 0.05). Also, the variety Taray had the highest activity, followed by the 2014;197(3):303-17.
Cristalino range and variety Oscar Blanco had the lowest activity. 4. Herrera-Calderon O, Enciso-Roca E, Pari-Olarte B, Arroyo-Acevedo J.
Phytochemical screening, antioxidant activity and analgesic effect of Waltheria
The sequestering capacity increased between 1.9 times for variety ovata Cav. roots in mice. Asian Pac J Trop Dis. 2016;6(12):1000-3.
Oscar Blanco to 2.6 times for the variety Taray, the average increase 5. Arnao M, Cano A, Acosta M. The hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidant activity
of 2.3 times. differences in the sequestering of ABTS radical by constribution to complete. Food Chemistry. 2001;73(2):239-44.
germinated phenolics of the four varieties (p < 0.05). The Centenario 6. Benzie IFF, Strain JJ. The ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) as a measure of
and Oscar Blanco varieties had the lowest sequestering capacity and antioxidant power: The FRAP assays. Analytical Biochemistry. 1996;239(1):70-
Cristalino varieties and Oscar Blanco had the highest sequestering 76.
capacity. The influence of germinated in phenolic content of the radical 7. Carciochi RA, Manrique G, Dinitrov K. Changes in antioxidant activity and
phenolic composition germination of seeds During Quinoa (Chenopodium
scavenging ability of ABTS was significant. Finally, the germinated
Quinoa Willd). International Food Research Journal. 2014;21(2): 767-73.
seed of Centenario, Cristalino, Oscar Blanco and Taray varieties had
8. Klimczack I, Malecka M, Pacholek B. Antioxidant activity of ethanolic extrats of
higher iron reducing activity compared to non-germinated seeds. Also, amaranth seeds. Nahrung/Food. 2012;46(3):84-6.
the variety Taray had the highest activity, followed by the Cristalino 9. Kuskoski M, Asuero A, Troncoso A, Mancini - Filho J, Feti R. Application of
range and variety Oscar Blanco had the lowest activity. The difference various chemical methods to determine antioxidant activity in fruit pulp.
between varieties was significant (p < 0.05). It was also noted that the Science Technol Aliment Campinas. 2005;25(4):26-32.
Centenario and white varieties Oscar had the lowest reducing capacity; 10. Uddin MS, Uddin GS, Begum MM, Begum Y, Herrera-Calderon O, Islam MM,
and Tamarisk and Cristalino varieties had the highest reducing activity. et al. Inspection of phytochemical content and in vitro antioxidant profile of
Gnaphalium luteoalbum L.: An unexplored phytomedicine. Journal of Pharmacy
When comparing the scavenging activity between non-germinated and Nutrition Sciences 2017;7(3):136-46.
seeds and germinated seeds, a highly significant difference (p < 11. Almora-Pinedo Y, Arroyo-Acevedo JL, Herrera-Calderon O, Chumpitaz-Cerrate
0.05). It has reported the reducing capability of iron in seeds (55.3 V, Hañari-Quispe R, Tinco-Jayo A, et al. Preventive effect of Oenothera rosea
± 1.6 mg ET/100 g of dry sample) and germinated seeds (122 ± 11.1 on N-methyl-N-nitrosourea- (NMU) induced gastric cancer in rats. Clin Exp
mg ET/100 g of dry sample respectively) of Amaranthus caudatus L., Gastroenterol. 2017;10:327–32.

without specifying the range; in which differences were observed in 12. Herrera-Calderon O, Santiváñez-Acosta R, Pari-Olarte B, Enciso-Roca E, Montes
VMC, Acevedo JLA. Anticonvulsant effect of ethanolic extract of Cyperus
the reductive capacity of iron between seeds and germinated seeds, articulatus L. leaves on pentylenetetrazol induced seizure in mice. Journal of
increasing to 2.2 times.23 In our report, we can see that in general, the Traditional and Complementary Medicine. 2018.

Pharmacognosy Journal, Vol 11, Issue 3, May-June, 2019 591

 Enrique-Aguilar, et al.: Antioxidant Activity of the Germinated Seed of Four Varieties of Amaranthus Caudatus L. from Peru

13. Hossain MS, Uddin MS, Kabir MT, Akhter S, Goswami, S, Al Mamun A, et al. 18. Arroyo-Acevedo JL, Herrera-Calderon O, Rojas-Armas JP, Chumpitaz-
In Vivo Screening for Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Syngonium Cerrate V, Franco-Quino C, Hañari-Quispe R. Chuquiraga spinosa Lessing: A
podophyllum L.: A Remarkable Herbal Medicine. Annual Research & Review in medicinal plant for gastric cancer induced by N-Methyl-N-Nitroso-Urea (NMU).
Biology. 2017;16(3):1-12. Pharmacognosy Journal. 2018;10(1).
14. Arroyo-Acevedo J, Herrera-Calderón O, Chávez-Asmat R, Anampa-Guzmán A, 19. Pasko P, Barton H, Zagrodsky P, Gorinstein S, Folta M, Zachwieja Z.
Chumpitaz-Cerrate V, Enciso-Roca E. Protective effect of Chuquiraga spinosa Anhtocyanins, total polyphenols and antioxidant activity in amaranth and quinoa
extract on N-methyl-nitrosourea (NMU) induced prostate cancer in rats. seeds and sprouts during their growth. Food Chemistry. 2009;115(3):994-998.
Prostate international. 2017;5(2):47-52. 20. Prior R, Wu X, Schaich K. Methods for the determination Standardized of
15. Hossain MS, Uddin MS, Kabir MT, Begum MM, Koushal P, Herrera-Calderon antioxidant capacity and dietary supplements. Journal of Agricultural and Food
O, et al. In vitro screening for phytochemicals and antioxidant activities of Chemistry. 2005;53(10):4290-302.
Syngonium Podophyllum L.: An incredible therapeutic plant. Biomed Pharmacol 21. Rubio N, Guerrero G. Effect of temperature on packaging and shelf life of
J. 2017;10(3). outbreaks of amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus L.) for human consumption,
16. Uddin MS, Uddin GS, Begum MM, Begum Y, Herrera-Calderon O, Islam MM, Quito - Ecuador: University of the Americas. 2016.
et al. Inspection of phytochemical content and in vitro antioxidant profile of
22. Alvarez-Jubete L. Wijngaard H, Arendt EK, Gallagher E. Polyphenol composition
Gnaphalium luteoalbum L.: An unexplored phytomedicine. Journal of Pharmacy
and in vitro antioxidant activity of amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat and wheat as
and Nutrition Sciences. 2017;7(3):136-46.
Affected by sprouting and baking. Food Chemistry. 2010;119(2):770-78.
17. Herrera-Calderón O, Tinco-Jayo A, Franco-Quino C, Chumpitaz-Cerrate V,
Castro-Pari W, Pari-Olarte P, et al. Antioxidant activity and cytotoxic profile of 23. Aphalo P, Martinez, Añón MC. Amaranthus sprouths. A potential health
Chuquiraga spinosa Lessing on human tumor cell lines: A promissory plant Promoting Natural and nutritive food. International Journal of Food Properties.
from Peruvian flora. Asian Pac J Trop Dis. 2017;7(5):304-8. 2015;18(12):2688-698.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT SUMMARY

• Antioxidant activity of the germinated seed of four varieties of Amaranthus
caudatus L. from Peru were assessed by using in vitro methods such as
ABTS, FRAP and DPPH.
• Varieties of Amaranthus seeds as: "Taray", "Oscar Blanco", "Cristalino",
"Centenario" were provided by the National Institute for Agricultural Research
and Experimentation of Ayacucho (INIEA-Ayacucho).
• Cristalino and Taray varieties had the highest content of total phenolics (GAE
32.92 and 35.00 mg/g sample).
• Cristalino variety had higher content of flavonoids (580.95 mg QE/g);
Cristalino and Taray varieties showed greater scavenging activity of DPPH
radical (151.85 and 151.38 mg TE/g sample), ABTS (178.09 and 180.18 mg
TE/g sample); and reducing capacity of the ferric ion (FRAP) (132.75 and
136.42 mg TE/g of sample).

ABOUT AUTHORS

Oscar Herrera-Calderon: He is a professor and researcher in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry,
Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru. His expertise is Natural products with anticancer
properties, pharmacokinetic studies and the use of animals models to discover new potential drugs
against different types of cancer.

Javier Enrique Aguilar-Felices: He works in the Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Health

Sciences, Universidad Nacional del San Cristóbal de Huamanga, Ayacucho, Peru. His expertise is Natural
products with antioxidant properties.

Marta Romero-Viacava: She works in the Laboratory of Botany, Faculty of Biological Sciences,
Universidad Nacional San Cristóbal de Huamanga, Ayacucho, Peru.

592 Pharmacognosy Journal, Vol 11, Issue 3, May-June, 2019

 Enrique-Aguilar, et al.: Antioxidant Activity of the Germinated Seed of Four Varieties of Amaranthus Caudatus L. from Peru

Edwin Enciso-Roca: He works in the Laboratory of toxicology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad
Nacional del San Cristóbal de Huamanga, Ayacucho, Peru. His expertise is Natural products with
antioxidant properties.

Pablo Comun-Ventura: He works in the Laboratory of quality control, Universidad Nacional San Cristóbal
de Huamanga, Ayacucho, Peru.

Ricardo Yuli-Posadas: He works in the research direction, Universidad Continental, Huancayo, Peru.

Luz Chacaltana-Ramos: She is a professor and researcher in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry,
Universidad Nacional San Luis Gonzaga de Ica.

Bertha Pari-Olarte: She is a professor and researcher in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry,
Universidad Nacional San Luis Gonzaga de Ica.

Cite this article: Aguilar-Felices EJ, Romero-Viacava M, Enciso-Roca E, Herrera-Calderon O, Común-Ventura P, Yuli-Posadas
RA, et al. Antioxidant Activity of the Germinated Seed of Four Varieties of Amaranthus caudatus L. from Peru. Pharmacog J.
2019;11(3):588-93.

Pharmacognosy Journal, Vol 11, Issue 3, May-June, 2019 593