Salinity stress accelerates nutrients, dietary fiber, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant activity in Amaranthus tricolor leaves

Abstract

Impact of salinity stress were investigated in three selected Amaranthus tricolor accessions in terms of nutrients, dietary fiber, minerals, antioxidant phytochemicals and total antioxidant activity in leaves. Salinity stress enhanced biochemical contents and antioxidant activity in A. tricolor leaves. Protein, ash, energy, dietary fiber, minerals (Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, and Na), β-carotene, ascorbic acid, total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (DPPH and ABTS+) in leaves were increased by 18%, 6%, 5%, 16%, 9%, 16%, 11%, 17%, 38%, 20%, 64%, 31%, 22%, 16%, 16%, 25% and 17%, respectively at 50 mM NaCl concentration and 31%, 12%, 6%, 30%, 57%, 35%, 95%, 96%, 82%, 87%, 27%, 63%, 82%, 39%, 30%, 58% and 47%, respectively at 100 mM NaCl concentration compared to control condition. Contents of vitamins, polyphenols and flavonoids showed a good antioxidant activity due to positive and significant interrelationships with total antioxidant capacity. It revealed that A. tricolor can tolerate a certain level of salinity stress without compromising the nutritional quality of the final product. This report for the first time demonstrated that salinity stress at certain level remarkably enhances nutritional quality of the leafy vegetable A. tricolor. Taken together, our results suggest that A. tricolor could be a promising alternative crop for farmers in salinity prone areas- in the tropical and sub-tropical regions with enriched nutritional contents and antioxidant activity.

Nutrients, minerals, antioxidant pigments and phytochemicals, and antioxidant capacity of the leaves of stem amaranth

“…Shukla et al 34 also reported positive associations in their earlier work in A. tricolor. Similarly, betacyanin, betaxanthin, and betalain showed positive and significant interrelationship among each of them and with TAC (ABTS + ), chlorophylls, TFC, TAC (DPPH), and TPC which was corroborated with the results of our earlier studies in amaranth 8,9,[20][21][22][23][24] indicating increase in any pigment was directly related to increment of another pigment. The positive and significant interrelationship of TAC (DPPH), pigments, TFC, TPC, and TAC (ABTS + ) indicated that pigments, TFC, and TPC exhibited strong antioxidant potential.…”

“…The positive and significant interrelationship of TAC (DPPH), pigments, TFC, TPC, and TAC (ABTS + ) indicated that pigments, TFC, and TPC exhibited strong antioxidant potential. The significant negative association was observed between pigments vs. total carotenoids and pigments vs. beta-carotene, while total carotenoids and beta-carotene exhibited a significant positive association with TAC (ABTS + ), TAC (DPPH), TPC, and TFC which was corroborated with the results of our earlier studies in amaranth [20][21][22][23][24] . It indicated that the increment of any leaf pigment had a direct decrement of total carotenoids and beta-carotene.…”

Nutrients, minerals, pigments, phytochemicals, and radical scavenging activity in Amaranthus blitum leafy vegetables

“…The positive and significant interrelationships of TAC (DPPH), all phytopigments, TAC (ABTS + ), TFC, and TPC indicated that phytopigments, TFC, and TPC exhibited strong antioxidant potential. The significant negative association was observed between phytopigments vs. total carotenoids and phytopigments vs. beta-carotene, while total carotenoids and beta-carotene exhibited a significant positive association with TAC (ABTS + ), TAC (DPPH), TPC, and TFC which was corroborated with the results of our earlier studies in amaranth [20][21][22][23][24] . It indicated that the increment of any phytopigment had a direct decrement of total carotenoids and beta-carotene.…”

Influence of Abiotic Stress Factors on the Antioxidant Properties and Polyphenols Profile Composition of Green Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

“…In Nokia the period of watering, as well as photosynthesis active radiation, had no the significant influence. In the study by Sarker et al [30] abiotic stress (salinity) in Amaranthus tricolor leaves observed a higher amount of total phenolic content in comparison to control variant without stress. Total phenolic acid content in tested samples of KWS Olof ranged from 0.60 to 0.84 mg CAE per g and in Nokia from 0.75 to 1.65 mg CAE per g. While in KWS Olof significant differences were not observed, in Nokia, radiation PAR = 400 µmol m −2 s −1 caused an increase of total phenolic acid content in comparison to PAR = 800 µmol m −2 s −1 in control and drought cultivation conditions.…”