Antioxidant compound contents and antioxidant activity before and after cooking in sweet and bitter Chenopodium quinoa seeds

The antioxidant activity and the relationship between total antioxidant activity and the main classes of antioxidants in the seeds of bitter and sweet Chenopodium quinoa seeds were measured before and after boiling, in order to establish which one showed the best antioxidant property and how a traditional cooking method could affect it. Our results, obtained by using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrilhydrazyl) and FRAP (Ferric Reducing/Antioxidant Power) methods, showed that antioxidant activity of bitter seeds was higher than that of sweet seeds. This activity principally depended on phenols and flavonoids in bitter seeds, while it was mainly due to phenol, flavonoid and carotenoid compounds in sweet seeds. Moreover, boiling caused a significant loss of antioxidant capacity in water.