Betacyanin extract of Amaranthus cruentus L. flowers was fractionated by semi‐preparative high‐speed counter‐current chromatography in a highly polar solvent system: ...propan‐1‐ol/acetonitrile/(NH4)2SO4satd. soln/H2O (1.0:0.5:1.2:1.0, v/v/v/v) in tail‐to‐head mode with 76% retention of the stationary phase. The crude extract as well as the fractions containing betacyanins were analyzed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry as well as by high‐resolution ion‐trap time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry detection technique for the molecular formulae and multi‐step fragmentation pattern elucidation. Four betacyanins; namely, amaranthin, betanin, 6′‐O‐formyl‐amaranthin, and 6′‐O‐malonyl‐amaranthin as well as their diastereomeric forms differing in the configuration of the C‐15 carbon atom were identified in the fractions. Amaranthin was the dominant pigment in the extract and was additionally analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance correlation techniques after the counter‐current chromatographic and high‐performance liquid chromatographic isolation. Betacyanins were highly enriched during a single high‐speed counter‐current chromatographic step; therefore, the tentative identification of new compounds for the whole Amaranthaceae family, 6′‐O‐formyl‐amaranthin and 6′‐O‐malonyl‐amaranthin was possible. Different elution profiles of the pigments observed in the counter‐current chromatographic system in comparison to high‐performance liquid chromatography system confirm a complementarity of both the techniques especially in the separation of diastereomeric pairs of betacyanins.
The objective of this work was to evaluate the growth dynamics of the cover plants amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus), quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), and millet (Pennisetum glaucum) in a Typic Acrustox, ...under different water regimes in the Brazilian Cerrado. The cultivation was carried out in the winter, with reduced rainfall, which facilitated the application of varying irrigation depths to the different crops. Water regimes denominated lower, lower middle, upper middle, and upper - corresponding to 217, 386, 563, and 647 mm water depths, respectively - were tested by means of an irrigation bar composed of sprinklers with different flow rates. Plant growth was quantified by weekly collections. Amaranth was the most responsive plant to water. Quinoa showed the best performance in the treatment with the upper-middle water level among the other evaluated species. Millet showed thermal sensitivity for cultivation in the winter, making grain production unfeasible; however, it showed exceptional ability to produce biomass even in the treatment with higher water deficit.
Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a dinâmica do crescimento das plantas de cobertura amaranto (Amaranthus cruentus), quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) e milheto (Pennisetum glaucum) em Latossolo Vermelho, sob diferentes regimes hídricos no Cerrado. O cultivo foi realizado no inverno, com pluviosidade reduzida, o que facilitou a aplicação de lâminas de irrigação nas diferentes culturas. No experimento foram avaliados regimes hídricos intitulados de inferior, médio inferior, médio superior e superior, correspondentes à aplicação respectiva de 217, 386, 563 e 647 mm de lâminas de água, por meio de uma barra irrigadora composta por aspersores de diferentes vazões. O crescimento das plantas foi quantificado mediante coletas com periodicidade semanal. O amaranto foi a planta mais responsiva à água. A quinoa apresentou o melhor desempenho no tratamento com nível de água médio superior entre as espécies avaliadas. O milheto apresentou sensibilidade térmica ao cultivo no inverno, o que inviabilizou a produção de grãos; porém, mostrou excepcional aptidão quanto à produção de biomassa, inclusive no tratamento com maior deficit hídrico.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality (color, texture and nutritional value) of gluten-free pasta formulated with pre-gelatinized flour made from cassava starch and cassava bagasse ...(70:30), cassava starch and amaranth flour. The nutritional value of the product showing the best texture characteristics was compared with those of commercial pastas made with semolina and with whole wheat flour. The use of the pre-gelatinized flour, native cassava starch and amaranth flour (10:60:30), respectively, allowed for the development of a product with adequate color, texture and nutritional value to similar quality as commercial wheat products. In other words, light yellowish color, fiber rich 9.37 g (100 g)−1, source of protein 10.41 g (100 g)−1, adequate firmness (43.6 N) and low stickiness (3.2 N). The use of cassava bagasse increased the fiber content of the product and could be used as ingredient in the formulation of pasta. The obtained pasta could contribute to increase the availability of healthier, gluten-free products on the market.
•Non conventional ingredients were used for gluten-free pasta production.•Mixture design was applied to optimize the formulation.•The optimized product had texture properties similar with those of traditional pasta.•The ingredients used allowed to improve the nutritional value of new pasta.
Antecedentes y Objetivos: El amaranto es de interés mundial por su valor nutricional como verdura y grano. Las especies cultivadas de mayor importancia comercial por su producción de grano son ...Amaranthus caudatus, A. cruentus y A. hypochondriacus. Dos hipótesis aceptadas sobre el origen de A. cruentus consideran a A. hybridus como su ancestro. Los objetivos del presente estudio son 1) reportar la distribución actualizada y frecuencia de A. cruentus y A. hybridus en el sureste de México, Guatemala y Honduras y 2) evaluar su diversidad morfológica mediante caracteres florales y del fruto de ambas especies en México y Guatemala.Métodos: La información proveniente de 147 ejemplares de herbario fue empleada para actualizar la distribución y frecuencia de A. cruentus y A. hybridus en la zona de estudio, posible área de domesticación. La diversidad a nivel morfológico se determinó del análisis de 22 caracteres relacionados a estructuras de flores pistiladas y del fruto, usando un análisis multivariado de componentes principales y evaluando para ello 15 ejemplares de A. cruentus y 31 de A. hybridus procedentes de Guatemala y el sureste de México.Resultados clave: La mayor distribución de A. cruentus se presentó en Guatemala y, en el caso de A. hybridus en México. La variación acumulada en los tres primeros componentes principales fue de 58% para ambas especies. La variación morfológica para las dos especies se asoció principalmente con caracteres relacionados a los sépalos internos y externos. El gráfico del análisis de componentes principales permite observar una amplia variación morfológica en A. cruentus y A. hybridus, independiente de su distribución geográfica en ambos casos.Conclusiones: La distribución geográfica de A. cruentus en México es más amplia con respecto a reportes previos. Se describe la diversidad morfológica de estructuras de flores pistiladas y frutos en A. cruentus y A. hybridus.
ABSTRACT The potential effects of climate change on agricultural yields require a greater understanding of cropping systems that include underutilized agricultural crops with greater adaptive ...capacity to water and thermal stresses, such as grain amaranth (Amaranthus sp.). The aim of this work was to evaluate how the planting arrangement affects the agronomic performance of grain amaranth BRS Alegria (Amaranthus cruentus L.) grown under semi-arid conditions. One experiment was carried out in a complete randomized block design with five repetitions in a 2 x 3 factorial scheme (two row spacings - 30 and 40 cm; three plant spacings - 20; 30 and 40 cm); in two crop years, 2019 and 2020 in the municipality of Pentecoste, CE, Brazil. The evaluated characteristics were plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, fresh matter yield, aboveground biomass yield (dry weight), grain yield, thousand-grain weight, lipid content, and harvest and lodging indexes. The evaluated planting arrangements did not affect plant height and number of leaves, but did affect stem diameter and lodging index, as the 40 cm plant spacing resulted in greater stem diameter and lower lodging index. Narrow spacing (30 x 20 cm) resulted in a higher lodging index but also resulted in a higher fresh matter yield, aboveground biomass, grain yield, harvest index and lipid content. Thousand-grain weight was greater at 30 x 40 cm spacing. The 30 x 20 cm arrangement can be recommended for the cultivation of grain amaranth in the study area.
RESUMO Os potenciais efeitos das mudanças climáticas sobre a produção agrícola requerem maior compreensão dos sistemas agrícolas que incluem culturas subutilizadas com maior capacidade de adaptação a estresses hídricos e térmicos, como o amaranto (Amaranthus sp.). O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar como os arranjos espaciais afetam o desempenho agronômico do amaranto BRS Alegria (Amaranthus cruentus L.) no semiárido. Um experimento foi conduzido em delineamento de blocos casualizados com cinco repetições em esquema fatorial 2 x 3 (dois espaçamentos entre linhas - 30 e 40 cm; três espaçamentos entre plantas - 20; 30 e 40 cm); nos anos 2019 e 2020, no município de Pentecoste-CE. As características avaliadas foram altura da planta, diâmetro do caule, número de folhas, rendimento de matéria fresca, matéria seca, produtividade, peso de mil grãos, teor de lipídios nos grãos, índices de colheita e acamamento. Os arranjos espaciais não afetaram a altura das plantas e o número de folhas, mas afetaram o diâmetro do caule e índice de acamamento e o espaçamento de 40 cm entre plantas resultou em um maior diâmetro do caule e menor índice de acamamento. O espaçamento mais estreito (30 x 20 cm) resultou em maior índice de acamamento, porém também resultou em maior teor de matéria fresca, matéria seca, produtividade, índice de colheita e teor de lipídios. O peso de mil grãos foi maior no espaçamento 30 x 40 cm. O arranjo espacial 30 x 20 cm pode ser recomendado para o cultivo do amaranto na área de estudo.
Among 60-70 species of Amaranthaceae, only three are grain-producing species and Amaranthus cruentus is one of them. It stands out for its significant chemical composition. The high protein content ...and amino acid composition give amaranth medicinal benefits such as cholesterol lowering, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-allergic, and antihypertensive activity. The fixed oil yield obtained by cold-pressing the grain is only 7-8%, but these lipids are valuable due to the presence of unsaturated fatty acids, tocopherols, tocotrienols, phytosterols, and squalene, which are not present in the same composition in other common oils. Among them, squalene is highly desirable.
Introduction: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have grabbed special attention owing to their exclusive structural features. Green synthesis (i.e., plant-mediated) of AgNPs is an efficient and ...cost-effective method with widespread clinical applications. Therefore, the present study aimed to synthesize AgNPs based on green synthesis method employing the seed extracts of Amaranthus cruentus and to investigate the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of the biosynthesized AgNPs. Methods: The Ag-NPs were biologically synthesized using the A. cruentus extract which served as a reducing agent. Then, the synthesized Ag-NPs were visualized by transmission electron microscopy. Next, the antioxidant activity of the synthesized Ag-NPs was evaluated by DPPH and ABTS methods. Finally, the cytotoxicity of AgNPs was investigated against MCF-7 breast cancer cell line using MTT assay. Results: The mean diameter of the synthesized Ag-NPs ranged from 20 to 40 nm. In addition, the IC50 of free radical scavenging activity of the Ag-NPs were obtained as 500 µg/mL (DPPH) and 400 µg/mL (ABTS). Further, the AgNPs showed time and dose-dependent cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells. Eventually, at the 24-hour exposition to the 80 µg/mL dose of AgNPs, the viability of cancerous cells was 19% plunging to 2.03% and 1.9% after 48 hours and 72 hours, respectively. Conclusion: In general, plant extracts can serve as facile and eco-friendly alternatives to hazardous methods for synthesizing the metal nanoparticles. Therefore, the A. cruentus biosynthesized AgNPs can be utilized in medicine for various purposes due to their low toxicity and appropriate antioxidant activity.
This study was conducted to evaluate the growth response of three leafy vegetables (Celosia argentea, Amaranthus cruentus and Amaranthus hypochodriacus) to the leaf extract of Vitellaria paradoxa. ...Forty-five (45) experimental plastic containers were filled with 5 kg of loamy soil each and randomly allocated to the following regimes: control, 20 g, 40 g, 60 g and 80 g of powdered leaves of V. paradoxa, in three (3) replicates for each test crop respectively. It was observed that the response of the three leafy vegetables, grown within different composition of V. paradoxa leaves, are concentration dependent with respect to the studied growth parameters (plant height, leaf number, leaf area, stem girth). This indicated that V. paradoxa has allelopathic potential on the studied vegetables and therefore it could be used for natural weed control.
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