Indian Journal of Plant Genetic Resources

Amaranthus belongs to the family Amaranthaceae and is widely distributed in tropical countries. The genus comprises over 70 species of which 15 are consumed as vegetables. The present study concerns with the estimation of nutritional and anti nutritional components of four Amaranthus species, namely, A. cruentus, A. spinosus, A. tricolor and A. viridis collected from Thiruvananthapuram district, is the southern part of Kerala. The evaluated parameters were protein, carbohydrate, ascorbic acid, phenol, flavanoid, moisture and oxalate. The protein content ranged between 4.8–9.7 mg/g. High protein content was detected in A. spinosus. A. cruentus was characterized by presence of rich carbohydrate (23.6 mg/g). The carbohydrate and phenol content of genus ranged between 5.2–23.6 mg/g and 5.111 mg/g respectively. Highest flavanoid content was observed in A.spinosus and it ranged between 0.0029–0.005 mg/g. Ascorbic acid content and moisture was high in A.viridis and it ranged between 14–25 mg/g and 40–65%, respectively. The anti nutritional factor oxalate was found to be highest in A. cruentus and A. tricolor (15–14.09 mg/g) whereas it was comparatively very low in A. spinosus and A. viridis. The nutritional factors namely, carbohydrate, protein and ascorbic acid were markedly high as per the Recommended Dietary Allowances (1974). This study suggested the cultivation and consumption of A. spinosus and A. viridis which are not commonly used.