Red beet (Beta vulgaris) and amaranth (Amaranthus sp.) microgreens: Effect of storage and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on the untargeted metabolomic profile

Food Chem. 2020 Dec 1:332:127415. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.127415. Epub 2020 Jun 27.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the combined effect of storage at 4 °C (10-days) and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on the phytochemical profile of red beet (Beta vulgaris) and amaranth (Amaranthus sp.) microgreens. The untargeted profiling based on UHPLC-QTOF metabolomics allowed annotating 316 compounds, comprising mainly polyphenols and lipids. An impact of storage on the total phenolic content (TPC) was observed, with a maximum increase at 10-days of storage for both red beet (+1.3-fold) and amaranth (+1.1-fold). On the other hand, in vitro digestion of both red beet and amaranth microgreens produced a significant increase in TPC (36-88%), CUPRAC (27-40%), DPPH (6-43%), and BC (41-57%) to reach the maximum at 10 days of storage. Tyrosinase inhibitory potential also decreased following digestion. The combination of biochemical changes occurring in microgreen immature plants (likely in response to the harvest stress) with changes during digestion, determined the actual functional value of microgreens.

Keywords: Betalains; Foodomics; In vitro digestion; Lipids; Polyphenols; UHPLC-QTOF.

MeSH terms

  • Amaranthus / chemistry*
  • Amaranthus / metabolism
  • Beta vulgaris / chemistry*
  • Beta vulgaris / metabolism
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Cold Temperature
  • Digestion
  • Discriminant Analysis
  • Food Storage
  • Least-Squares Analysis
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Metabolomics / methods*
  • Monophenol Monooxygenase / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Monophenol Monooxygenase / metabolism
  • Phenols / chemistry
  • Phenols / metabolism

Substances

  • Phenols
  • Monophenol Monooxygenase