Abstract
This study is aimed to evaluate the chemical compositions and biological activities of quinoa, a novel and excellent food crop. Quinoa extract and its fractions were prepared by ethanol extraction and liquid-liquid extraction, including ethanol crude extract, and petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate (EAF), and n-butanol and water fractions. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant activities, α-glucosidase and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory abilities of the extract and fractions were further determined. Based on these foundations, the chemical composition of the EAF fraction exhibiting the strongest functional activity was analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results showed the EAF fraction had the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents, and the highest antioxidant activities, as well as the strongest α-glucosidase and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory abilities, which is even better than the positive control. The phytochemical composition of the EAF fraction indicated that 661 and 243 metabolites were identified in positive and negative ion modes, which were classified into superclass, class and subclass levels, respectively. Phenolic acids and flavonoids were the major bioactive compounds in the EAF fraction. This study found that quinoa, especially its ethyl acetate fraction, had the potential for the development of natural antioxidants, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and hypoglycemic agents.