The Heating Under Micro Variable Pressure (HUMVP) Process to Decrease the Level of Saponin in Quinoa: Evidence of the Antioxidation and the Inhibitory Activity of α-Amylase and α-Glucosidase

Abstract

To reduce the level of saponin while preserving essential nutrients and antioxidative properties in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), this study delves into the optimization of the HUMVP process and thoroughly examines its effects on antioxidation as well as its inhibitory influence on α-amylase and α-glucosidase. The optimal HUMVP conditions involved wetting quinoa grains with 6% water (pH = 6.0) and subjecting them to a 4 min treatment under 0.35 MPa pressure. The values of •OH, DPPH, and ABTS•+ scavenging rate of the extracts from the quinoa sample (named Q2HUMVP) treated under the optimum HUMVP process were 70.02, 87.13, and 50.95%, respectively. Furthermore, the treatment preserved 95.20% of polyphenols and 73.06% of flavonoids, while the saponin content was reduced to 23.13% of that in raw quinoa. Notably, Q2HUMVP extracts demonstrated superior inhibitory activity against α-amylase and α-glucosidase compared to dehulled quinoa samples. The inhibition exhibited by the quinoa sample extracts on α-amylase and α-glucosidase was found to be reversible.

Keywords

• quinoa
• saponin
• heating under micro variable pressure
• inhibitory activity