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ARS Home » Plains Area » Manhattan, Kansas » Center for Grain and Animal Health Research » Grain Quality and Structure Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #380732
Research Project: Grain Composition Traits Related to End-Use Quality and Value of Sorghum

Location: Grain Quality and Structure Research

Title: Comparison of content in phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity in grains of white, red and black sorghum varieties grown in Mediterranean area

Author
item PONTIERI, PAOLA - Istituto Di Bioscienze E Biorisorse-Uos Portici-cnr
item PEPE, GIACOMO - University Of Salerno
item CAMPIGLIA, PIETRO - University Of Salerno
item MERCIAI, FABRIZIO - University Of Salerno
item BASILICATA, MANUELA - University Of Salerno
item Smolensky, Dmitriy
item CALCAGNILE, MATTEO - Dipartimento Di Scienze E Tecnologie Biologiche E Ambientali
item TROISI, JACOPO - University Of Salerno
item ROMANO, ROBERTA - Bologna University Hospital Authority St Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic
item GIUDICE, FABIO DEL - Bioteam Laboratory
item ALETTA, MARIAROSARIA - Institute Of Genetics And Biophysics "adriano Buzzati-Traverso"
item GUIDA, MARCO - The University Of Naples Federico Ii
item ALIFANO, PIETRO - Dipartimento Di Scienze E Tecnologie Biologiche E Ambientali
item DEL GIUDICE, LUIGI - Istituto Di Bioscienze E Biorisorse-Uos Portici-cnr

Submitted to: ACS Food Science and Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2021
Publication Date: 6/17/2021
Citation: Pontieri, P., Pepe, G., Campiglia, P., Merciai, F., Basilicata, M.G., Smolensky, D., Calcagnile, M., Troisi, J., Romano, R., Giudice, F., Aletta, M., Guida, M., Alifano, P., Del Giudice, L. 2021. Comparison of content in phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity in grains of white, red and black sorghum varieties grown in Mediterranean area. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.1c00115.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.1c00115

Interpretive Summary: There is a need to expand sustainable crop production that offers a benefit to human health in the Mediterranean region. In this study we analyzed the phenolic content of three different color cultivars grown in the Mediterranean region. Our work highlighted that some classes of polyphenols are present in all the Sorghum varieties analyzed. Also, our identified specific compounds associated with the cultivar studied. Our work also identified specific compounds responsible for most of the antioxidant activity using a novel assay. This study will greatly contribute to the development sorghum as a viable crop in the Mediterranean region as well as provide methods for evaluating other sorghum cultivars for production.

Technical Abstract: Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is a gluten-free cereal with many varieties containing greater amounts of phenolic compounds than other grains. The phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity were compared in three sorghum varieties grown in the Mediterranean, consisting of different pericarp colors: 1) white, 2) red and 3) black sorghum. The qualitative and quantitative profile of acidified aqueous methanol extracts of whole grain sorghum flours was elucidated through ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to photodiode array (PDA) and ion trap time-of-flight (IT-TOF) mass spectrometry detection. The investigated sorghum varieties contained polyamines, such as spermidines, and polyphenolic compounds belonging to different classes: hydroxycinnamic acids, flavanols, flavones and flavanones. Pyrano-flavanone-flavanols were detected only in the black sorghum. A pre-column 2,2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)• radical scavenging assay to determine the main antioxidant compounds isolated from sorghum was developed. These results will further help develop sorghum varieties containing polyphenols relevant to the prevention of human diseases.