• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.339-341
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• 2018

Amaranth has the potential for good materials related to nutrients and health benefits. There are several diseases of amaranth such as leaf blight, damping-off, and root rot. As a causal agent of soft rot disease, Pectobacterium spp. could infect various plant species. In this study, we isolated the bacterial pathogen causing soft rot of amaranth in South Korea. In Gangneung, Gangwon province during 2017, amaranth plants showed typical soft rot symptoms such as wilting, defoliation and odd smell. To isolate pathogen, the macerated tissues of contaminated amaranth were spread onto LB agar plates and purified by a single colony subculture. One ml bacterial suspension of a representative isolate was injected to the stem of five seedlings of 2-week-old amaranth with a needle. Ten mM magnesium sulfate solution was used as a negative control. 16S rDNA gene and recA gene were sequenced and compared with the reference sequences using the BLAST. In the phylogenetic tree based on 16S rDNA gene and recA gene, GSA1 strain was grouped in Pcb.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2022.10a
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• pp.211-211
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• 2022

Amaranth is a nutritious and broadly adapted seed crop in high demand around the world. A preliminary approach for understanding the genetics of amaranth resources entails a morphologic characterization, which can provide the basis for breeding the first variety in Korea, leading to satisfying the needs of farmers and consumers. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the phenotypic characteristics of ten genetic amaranth accessions for the selection of outstanding accessions in terms of yield and grain quality. A randomized complete block design was used, with fifteen replications for each accession under field conditions. Five quantitative and three qualitative descriptors were evaluated with descriptive analysis. The results showed that the accessions with plant heights smaller than the average (>112.7 cm) presented lower yields and smaller seed sizes, thus decreasing the grain quality. The cluster analyses established groups of accessions with good yields (>30.1 g of seeds per plant) and stable morphological characteristics. Based on yield and morphological descriptors, the proposed selection index indicated four accessions as potential parents for amaranth breeding programs in Kora.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.603-617
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• 2021

Purpose: This study was carried out to investigate the effect of amaranth seed extracts on glycemic regulation in HepG2 cells. The 80% ethanol extracts of amaranth seeds were used to evaluate α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities, cell viability, glucose uptake and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), glucose transporter (GLUT)-2, GLUT-4, insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 and IRS-2. Methods: The samples were prepared and divided into 4 groups, including germinated black amaranth (GBA), black amaranth (BA), germinated yellow amaranth (GYA) and yellow amaranth (YA). Glucose hydrolytic enzyme, α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities were examined using a proper protocol. In addition, cell viability was measured by MTT assay. Glucose uptake in cells was measured using an assay kit. The mRNA expression levels of ACC, GLUT-2, GLUT-4, IRS-1 and IRS-2 were measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: The inhibitory activities of α-amylase and α-glucosidase were highly observed in GBA, followed by BA, GYA and YA. Similar results were observed for glucose. The GBA effect was similar compared to the positive control group. The mRNA expression levels of ACC, GLUT-2, GLUT-4, IRS-1, and IRS-2 were significantly increased. The potential hypoglycemic effects of amaranth seed extracts were observed due to the increase in glucose metabolic enzyme activity, and glucose uptake was mediated through the upregulation of ACC, GLUT-2, GLUT-4, IRS-1, and IRS-2 expression levels. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the amaranth seed is a potential candidate to prevent a diabetes. The present study demonstrated the possibility of using amaranth seeds, especially GBA and BA for glycemic control.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.450-455
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• 1996

In this study isolation and identification of squalene from amaranth and antineoplastic activity of its residue extract except squalene were determined to examine the utilization of grain amaranth in Korea. The content of squalene in amaranth grain was about 0.43%. The isolated squalene showed 99% pureness containing the identical molecular weight and structure provisionally in comparison with that of animal squalene from Sigma Co. by means of GC /Mass spectrum. Antineoplastic activity against human gastric and colon carcinoma cell line was measured in extract (except squalene) from Amaranth using MTT method. Extract from remaining plant good showed significant cytotoxic effect at the concentration of less than 230$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 1996.04a
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• pp.4-5
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• 1996

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.262-267
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• 2004

Processed foods were developed using amaranth starch and flours. Amaranth seeds were untreated (UT), defatted (DF), germinated (GM), roasted (RT), popped (POP), and extruded (EX1 and EX2). Amaranth flours showed A-type pattern on X-ray diffractograms, while crystallinity was not observed in POP, EX1, and EX2. POP and EX1 showed highest (740.3%) and lowest (38.5%) water-binding capacities, respectively. Transmittances of RT, POP, EX1, and EX2 flour suspensions were higher than those of others. Transmittance of amaranth starch and flours differed with processing methods. RT, POP, EX1, and EX2 showed higher transmittance at $60^{\circ}C$. Initial pasting temperature of amaranth flours by RVA were $68.1-73.0^{\circ}C$, and peak viscosities of GM and RT were 31.6 and 401.1 RVU, respectively. Melting endotherms of POP, EX1, and EX2 were not observed in DSC thermograms.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.220-228
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• 2013

This study was conducted to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of 70 amaranth accessions collected from South and Southeast Asia using 14 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. In total, 67 alleles were detected, with an average of 4.79 per locus. Rare alleles comprised a large portion (46.3%) of the detected alleles, and 29 unique alleles associated with rice accessions were also discovered. The mean major allele frequency (MAF), genetic diversity (GD) and polymorphic information content (PIC) of the 14 SSR loci were 0.77, 0.36, and 0.34, respectively. A model-based structural analysis revealed the presence of three subpopulations. The genetic relationships revealed by the neighbor-joining tree method were fairly consistent with the structure-based membership assignments for most of the accessions. All 70 accessions showed a clear relationship to each cluster without any admixtures. We observed a relatively low extent of genetic exchange within or among amaranth species from South and Southeast Asia. The genetic diversity results could be used to identify amaranth germplasms and so facilitate their use for crop improvement.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.612-618
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• 1999

Physicochemical properties of amaranth starch were compared with those of waxy rice and waxy corn starches. Amaranth starch granules vary from $1.1{\sim}1.9\;{\mu}m$ in diameter and are polygonal in shape. Total amylose contents from waxy rice, waxy corn and amaranth starches were 0.01, 0.03 and 0.07%, respectively. Swelling power of amaranth starch granule was slightly different from waxy rice. The swelling power of amaranth increased at $70^{\circ}C$. X-ray diffraction patterns of amaranth and other waxy cereal starches showed an A-type crystalline structure. Relative crystallinities of their starches were similar. According to pasting properties by Rapid Visco-Analyzer, amaranth starch showed a very high gelatinization temperature $(75.1^{\circ}C)$ and lower viscosity and higher stability than other waxy cereal starches during heating and cooling cycle. Peak onset temperatures (To) of starches from waxy rice, waxy corn and amaranth in DSC thermograms were $58.7{\sim}64.0$, 67.2 and $71.5^{\circ}C$, respectively, and their peak enthalpies were similar. Enthalpy of reheated amaranth starch after 3 day storage at $4^{\circ}C$ was higher than those of waxy corn and rices starchs.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.99-105
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• 2022

This study assessed the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of leaf extracts from grain amaranths (Amaranthus spp.). Among all the extracts, the ethanol extract of Amaranthus cruentus leaves (Ar) exhibited the highest antioxidant activity, including the DPPH free radical scavenging activity and ORAC. In addition, Ar strongly inhibited nitric oxide production by suppressing the MEK/ERK signaling pathway in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264 murine macrophages. HPLC analysis revealed 13 polyphenolic compounds in the leaf extracts of grain amaranth and indicated that Ar contained more rutin than the other extracts. Taken together, these results show the impact of species diversity on the phytochemical contents and bioactivities of plant extracts and suggest that the nonedible parts, such as leaves, of A. cruentus should be considered for use as crude drugs and dietary health supplements.

• Food Industry And Nutrition
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.29-36
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• 2007