Variations of Bioactive Compound Contents and Antioxidant Capacity of Asparagus Seedlings in 23 Varieties

Antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS), bioactive compounds (total phenolic content, totalflavonoid content, rutin, and nicotiflorin), and free amino acids were analyzed in 23 asparagus(Asparagus officinalis L.) varieties at the seedling stage 1 month after sowing. Except for nicotiflorin,the antioxidative activity and bioactive compound content were similar among five varieties(‘MAM’, ‘UC7’, ‘TEM’, ‘POM’, and ‘HEM’). ‘MAM’, ‘HEM’, ‘UC7’, ‘TEM’, and ‘GRM’ containedthe most nicotiflorin among the 23 varieties. Rutin was strongly correlated with antioxidantactivity, especially ABTS activity. The major amino acids in asparagus seedlings were proline,GABA, aspartic acid, and alanine. ‘ASM’, ‘GUM’, ‘MOO’, ‘AVM’, and ‘PUP’ showed the highestfree amino acid contents, and they were different from the varieties with high antioxidant activity. Interestingly, the free amino acid content of ‘MAM’ was the lowest, even though this variety hadthe highest antioxidant activity and bioactive compound content. In contrast, ‘ASM’ showed thehighest free amino acid content, while the antioxidant capacity and rutin and nicotiflorin contents inthis variety were the lowest. The differences in major efficacy among the varieties of asparagus maybe a main factor in variety selection by producers. KCI Citation Count: 0