ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND PHENOLIC CONTENT OF FLOUR AND PROTEIN CONCENTRATE OF Amaranthus cruentus SEEDS

ESCUDERO NL; ALBARRACÍN G; LUCERO LÓPEZ R; GIMÉNEZ MS

JOURNAL OF FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2009

0145-8884

The aim of this work was to investigate bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity in flour (FAc) and protein concentrate (PCAc) from Amaranthus cruentus seeds (Ac), and to study their effect on the liver histoarchitecture of Wistar rats. Total phenols (mg gallic acid eq/100 g dry weight) content was 73.78 _ 1.70 for FAc, and 190.23 _ 1.50 for PCAc. The antioxidant activity was estimated, the values expressed as percentage correspond to FAc and PCAc, respectively. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl: 86.30 _ 1.1 and 88.83 _ 1.2; nitric oxide: 29.38 _ 1.9 and 48.75 _ 1.7; and b-carotene: 83.00 _ 1.8 and 44.60 _ 1.5. The histopathological diagnosis indicates that casein-fed rats present moderate fat infiltration in the liver, whereas in PCAcfed rats, the liver has structural integrity. The presence of phenols would provoke an increase of the antioxidant defenses and would produce a protective role in liver. It is suggested that Ac could be a good antioxidant source.