Comparative Evaluation of Phenolic and Antioxidant Properties of Red and White Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) Seeds

Abstract

Quinoa seed has obtained a great interest in recent years due to its high nutritional value and phytochemical content including natural antioxidants with beneficial biological activities. The present study was designed to determine the phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties of red and white quinoa seeds. High-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC–DAD-ESI–MS/MS) method was used for the analysis of the phenolic compounds. Twenty-two phenolic compounds were identified and quantified in the quinoa cultivars. The total concentrations of phenolic compounds of red quinoa was higher than that of the white cultivar. Ferulic acid 4-glucoside, vanillic acid, ferulic acid, quercetin 3-rutinoside and quercetin 3- arabinoside were the most abundant phenolics in both cultivars. Antioxidant activities of quinoa were also measured using the ABTS and DPPH assays, and the data obtained were in agreement with total concentrations of phenolics.