Vitamin C, total polyphenols and antioxidant activity in raw, domestically processed and industrially processed Indian Chenopodium quinoa seeds

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Chenopodium quinoa, an ancient crop sprung initially in Andean region of South America is well recognized for its outstanding nutritional composition and versatility. Quinoa from various geographical regions like Bolivia, Argentina, Kenya, Japan and Morocco has been studied, however there is no study on Indian Chenopodium quinoa. Thus, the present study aims to determine vitamin C, antioxidant activity and total polyphenols in Indian quinoa. Also, it compares effect of domestic and industrial processing on the grain. RESULTS: The results show that domestically processed seeds have higher vitamin C, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and also antioxidant activity as compared to the raw and industrially processed seeds. Antioxidant activity was found significantly correlated to the total phenolic content in raw, domestically processed and industrially processed seeds. CONCLUSION: Domestically processed quinoa, mainly by germination is reported to be rich in antioxidants, vitamin C and higher phenolic content. The results suggest use of domestic processing of quinoa seeds to retain nutrient value and also infer dietary importance of Indian Chenopodium quinoa. Further studies are required on antioxidant and polyphenol profiling of Indian quinoa.