Identification of Aqueous Extract of Red Amaranth Leaves by HPLC and LC-MS

The demand for natural antioxidants in the upcoming years is set to rise exponentially due to increasing consumer awareness of harmful effects of synthetic antioxidants on human health. Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of bioactive compounds having antioxidant property. The natural dietary antioxidants of fruits and vegetables promote health effect. Various flavonoids and phenolic acids present in fruits and vegetables are responsible for prevention of several chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, inflammation, and cancers due to their antioxidant properties. Red amaranth looks wonderful with purple or fully red in color. It is a good source of nutrients with high-quality proteins, vitamins, minerals, fibers, and bioactive compounds such as phenolics and pigments. Red amaranth leaves are the rich source of polyphenol and antioxidant. They are also helpful to increase the awareness of consumers in regards to the benefit of phyto-chemical. Solvent extraction is one of the most common conventional methods for extraction of color from leafy vegetables. The aim of the present study was to apply the conventional aqueous extraction procedure in extracting the color of red amaranth leaves. The aqueous extract was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for identification of the pigment. The result reveals the presence of anthocyanin pigment in red amaranth leaves.