In Vitro Antioxidant Effect and Inhibition of alpha-Amylase of two Varieties of Amaranthus caudatus seeds

This study reports on the biological properties, antioxidant and antidiabetic, of two varieties of Amaranthuscaudatus seeds, Oscar blanco and Victor red. Oil, squalene and phenolic contents were also determined. Seeds ofboth investigated varieties were found to possess very different levels of squalene (2.2% in Oscar blanco varietyand 7.5% in Victor red variety). Although the antioxidant activity of A. caudatus var. Oscar blanco and A. caudatusvar. Victor red statistically did not differ significantly from each other (IC50 values of ethyl acetate extractswere 0.50 mg/ml and 0.62 mg/ml, respectively), significant differences were noticed in relation to antidiabetic activity(inhibition of a-amylase, EC 3.2.1.1) of methanolic extracts that showed 50.5% for A. caudatus var. Oscarblanco and 28% for A. caudatus var. Victor red at concentration of 25ug/ml.