NUTRITIONAL AND ANTINUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF VEGETABLE AND GRAIN AMARANTH LEAVES

The foliage of 61 accessions of Amaranthus comprising both the grain and vegetable types referable to 10 species were evaluated for carotenoid, protein, nitrate, oxalate and moisture contents (fresh weight). Carotenoid varied from 90 to 200 mg kg-1 in vegetable types and from 60 to 200 mg kg-1 in the leaves of grain types. Variation for leaf protein was found to be 14-30, 15-43 g kg-1; nitrate 1.8-8.8, 4.1-9.2 g kg-1; oxalate 5.1-19.2, 3-16.5 g kg-1; and moisture 780-860, 750-840 g kg-1 in vegetable and grain types, respectively. Analysis of the amino acid composition of leaf protein of some high carotenoid lines revealed a well balanced composition with high lysine (40-56 g kg-1). Variation of all the five parameters (carotenoid, protein, nitrate, oxalate and moisture) with respect to the leaf position in vegetable types (4- and 8-week-old plants) and with respect to age (1- to 4-month-old plants) in grain types was also studied.