Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Characterization of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] grains

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Cereal Research Communications Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Among cereals, sorghum, a gluten-free cereal is a rich source of bioactive polyphenols and dietary antioxidants. Sorghum polyphenolic compounds were characterized and quantified in five sorghum genotypes by high performance liquid chromatography. Grain samples of five sorghum genotypes were grounded and subjected top extraction for profile of polyphenols via High Performance Liquid Chromotography. Results showed that red and brown pericarp genotypes had higher total proanthocyanidin and total phenolic content, therefore, resulting in overall high antioxidant activities. The phenolic acids that showed the higher antioxidant activity in red (SSG 59-3) and brown (G-46) genotypes were caffeic acid, taxifolin and apigeninidin. SSG 59-3 (20.55 ± 0.11a, 45.66 ± 0.23b, 15.34 ± 0.10c) had higher antioxidant activity evaluated by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assay. The concentrations of the sorghum-specific 3-deoxyanthocyanidins luteolinidin and apigeninidin were higher in red sorghum. Correlation analysis showed that antioxidant activity had a linear relationship with their polyphenols. Thus, our findings indicated that there is cumulative effect of both high antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds which may be exploited for human food to improve the nutritional value and health properties.

Graphical abstract

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

ABTS:

2,4,6-Tris(2-pyridyl)-s-triazine

AP:

Apigeninidin

CE:

Catechin equivalents

3DXA:

Deoxyanthocyanin

FRAP:

Ferric reducing ability of plasma assay

GAE:

Gallic acid equivalents

TPAC:

Total proanthocyanidin content

TC:

Tannin content

TPC:

Total phenolic content

TE:

Trolox equivalents

LUT:

Luteolinidin

RE:

Rutin equivalents

References

  • Adom KK, Liu RH (2002) Antioxidant activity of grains. J Agric Food Chem 50:6182–6187

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Afify AE-MMR, El-Beltagi HS, El-Salam SMA, Omran AA (2012) Biochemical changes in phenols, flavonoids, tannins, vitamin E, β-carotene and antioxidant activity during soaking of three white sorghum varieties. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed 2:203–209

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Awika JM (2000) Sorghum phenols as antioxidants. M.S. Thesis, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

  • Awika JM, Rooney LW, Waniska RD (2004) Properties of 3-deoxyanthocyanins from sorghum. J Agric Food Chem 52:4388–4394

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Awika JM, McDonough CM, Rooney LW (2005) Decorticating sorghum to concentrate healthy phytochemicals. J Agric Food Chem 53:6230–6234

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Balbaa SI, Zaki AY, El Shamy AM (1974) Total flavonoid and rutin content of the different organs of Sophora japonica L. J Assoc Off Anal Chem 57:752–755

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barros F, Dykes L, Awika JM, Rooney LW (2013) Accelerated solvent extraction of phenolic compounds from sorghum brans. J Cereal Sci 58:305–312

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Benzie IFF, Strain JJ (1996) The ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) as a measure of “antioxidant power”: the FRAP assay. Anal Biochem 239:70–76

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Burns RE (1971) Method for estimation of tannin in grain sorghum 1. Agron J 63:511–512

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carbonneau M-A, Cisse M, Mora-Soumille N et al (2014) Antioxidant properties of 3-deoxyanthocyanidins and polyphenolic extracts from Côte d’Ivoire’s red and white sorghums assessed by ORAC and in vitro LDL oxidisability tests. Food Chem 145:701–709

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chemists) A (Association of A (2000) Official methods of analysis

  • Choi Y, Jeong H-S, Lee J (2007) Antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts from some grains consumed in Korea. Food Chem 103:130–138

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • de Morais Cardoso L, Pinheiro SS, de Carvalho CWP et al (2015) Phenolic compounds profile in sorghum processed by extrusion cooking and dry heat in a conventional oven. J Cereal Sci 65:220–226

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • de Morais Cardoso L, Pinheiro SS, Martino HSD, Pinheiro-Sant’Ana HM (2017) Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.): nutrients, bioactive compounds, and potential impact on human health. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 57:372–390

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • de Oliveira KG, Queiroz VAV, de Almeida Carlos L et al (2017) Effect of the storage time and temperature on phenolic compounds of sorghum grain and flour. Food Chem 216:390–398

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Delcour JA, de Varebeke DJ (1985) A new colourimetric assay for flavanoids in pilsner beers. J Inst Brew 91:37–40

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dia VP, Pangloli P, Jones L et al (2016) Phytochemical concentrations and biological activities of Sorghum bicolor alcoholic extracts. Food Funct 7:3410–3420

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dicko MH, Gruppen H, Traoré AS et al (2005) Evaluation of the effect of germination on phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities in sorghum varieties. J Agric Food Chem 53:2581–2588

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dykes L, Rooney LW, Waniska RD, Rooney WL (2005) Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of sorghum grains of varying genotypes. J Agric Food Chem 53:6813–6818

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dykes L, Peterson GC, Rooney WL, Rooney LW (2011) Flavonoid composition of lemon-yellow sorghum genotypes. Food Chem 128:173–179

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Earp CF, McDonough CM, Rooney LW (2004) Microscopy of pericarp development in the caryopsis of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. J Cereal Sci 39:21–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez MGS, Kapran I, Souley S et al (2009) Collection and characterization of yellow endosperm sorghums from West Africa for biofortification. Genet Resour Crop Evol 56:991–1000

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson G, Schaal LA (1952) Relation of chlorogenic acid to scab resistance in potatoes. Science (80-) 115:627–629

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Joshi PN, Desai RG (1952) A method for the estimation of tocopherols in blood plasma. Indian J Med Res 40:277–287

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kang J, Price WE, Ashton J et al (2016) Identification and characterization of phenolic compounds in hydromethanolic extracts of sorghum wholegrains by LC-ESI-MSn. Food Chem 211:215–226

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Khoddami A, Truong HH, Liu SY et al (2015) Concentrations of specific phenolic compounds in six red sorghums influence nutrient utilisation in broiler chickens. Anim Feed Sci Technol 210:190–199

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Latha VM, Satakopan VN, Jayasree H (1989) Salinity-induced changes in phenol and ascorbic acid content in groundnut (Arachis hypogea) leaves. Curr Sci 58:151–152

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Linda D, Larry MS, William LR, Lloyd WR (2009) Flavonoid composition of red sorghum genotypes. Food Chem 116:313–317

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mattila P, Astola J, Kumpulainen J (2000) Determination of flavonoids in plant material by HPLC with diode-array and electro-array detections. J Agric Food Chem 48:5834–5841

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Min B, McClung AM, Chen M (2011) Phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities in rice brans of different color. J Food Sci 76:C117–C126

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nations F and AO of the U (2017) FAOSTAT database

  • Pontieri P, Mamone G, De Caro S et al (2013) Sorghum, a healthy and gluten-free food for celiac patients as demonstrated by genome, biochemical, and immunochemical analyses. J Agric Food Chem 61:2565–2571

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Punia H, Madan S, Malik A, Sethi SK (2019) Stability analysis for quality attributes in durum wheat (Triticum durum L.) genotypes, Bangladesh. J Bot 48:967–972

    Google Scholar 

  • Punia H, Tokas J, Bhadu S et al (2020a) Proteome dynamics and transcriptome profiling in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] under salt stress. 3 Biotech 10:412. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-020-02392-1

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Punia H, Tokas J, Malik A et al (2020b) Discerning morpho-physiological and quality traits contributing to salinity tolerance acquisition in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. South Afr J Bot. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2020.09.036

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Punia H, Tokas J, Malik A et al (2020c) Solar radiation and nitrogen use efficiency for sustainable agriculture. In: Resources use efficiency in agriculture. Springer, pp 177–212

  • Rao S, Santhakumar AB, Chinkwo KA et al (2018) Characterization of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in sorghum grains. J Cereal Sci 84:103–111

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Re R, Pellegrini N, Proteggente A et al (1999) Antioxidant activity applying an improved ABTS radical cation decolorization assay. Free Radic Biol Med 26:1231–1237

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reddy BVS, Ramesh S, Longvah T (2005) Prospects of breeding for micronutrients and b-carotene-dense sorghums. Int Sorghum Millets Newsl 46:10–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Salazar-López NJ, Gonzalez-Aguilar G, Rouzaud-Sandez O, Robles-Sanchez M (2018) Technologies applied to sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench): changes in phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity. Food Sci Technol 38:369–382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shen S, Huang R, Li C et al (2018) Phenolic compositions and antioxidant activities differ significantly among sorghum grains with different applications. Molecules 23:1203

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sompong R, Siebenhandl-Ehn S, Linsberger-Martin G, Berghofer E (2011) Physicochemical and antioxidative properties of red and black rice varieties from Thailand, China and Sri Lanka. Food Chem 124:132–140

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stefoska-Needham A, Beck EJ, Johnson SK, Tapsell LC (2015) Sorghum: an underutilized cereal whole grain with the potential to assist in the prevention of chronic disease. Food Rev Int 31:401–437

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sun B, Ricardo-da-Silva JM, Spranger I (1998) Critical factors of vanillin assay for catechins and proanthocyanidins. J Agric Food Chem 46:4267–4274

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Swain T, Hillis WE (1959) The phenolic constituents of Prunus domestica. I.—The quantitative analysis of phenolic constituents. J Sci Food Agric 10:63–68

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu G, Johnson SK, Bornman JF et al (2016) Growth temperature and genotype both play important roles in sorghum grain phenolic composition. Sci Rep 6:1–10

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu G, Johnson SK, Bornman JF et al (2017) Changes in whole grain polyphenols and antioxidant activity of six sorghum genotypes under different irrigation treatments. Food Chem 214:199–207

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yang L, Dykes L, Awika JM (2014) Thermal stability of 3-deoxyanthocyanidin pigments. Food Chem 160:246–254

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

First Author Ms. Himani Punia is thankful to Department of Science & Technology, SERB and CII under the Prime Minister’s Fellowship Scheme for Doctoral Research for providing financial assistance to carry out this research work. Authors are also thankful to Forage Section, Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, CCS HAU, Hisar for providing the seeds of sorghum genotypes and CCS HAU, Hisar for providing the necessary facilities to carry out the research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, 125 004, India

    Himani Punia & Jayanti Tokas

  2. Department of Seed Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, 125 004, India

    Anurag Malik

  3. Forage Section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, 125 004, India

    Satpal

  4. Department of Molecular Biology, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, 125 004, India

    Sonali Sangwan

Authors
  1. Himani Punia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jayanti Tokas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Anurag Malik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Satpal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Sonali Sangwan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Himani Punia.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Punia, H., Tokas, J., Malik, A. et al. Characterization of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] grains. CEREAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 49, 343–353 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42976-020-00118-w

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42976-020-00118-w

Keywords

Search

Navigation