PIGMENTED MAIZE GRAINS FROM CHIAPAS, PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS, ANTHOCYANIN CONTENT AND NUTRACEUTICAL VALUE

Abstract

The state of Chiapas, has a wide genetic diversity of maize (Zea mays L.) within several races, and a number of landrace varieties have pigmented maize grains which have been poorly studied regarding their anthocyanin content (CAT), chemical compound responsible of the grain color. In this study we determined the physical characteristics of grain, CAT and the nutraceutical value in terms of the antioxidant activity (AA) of native maize populations with pigmented grain, collected in several locations of Chiapas, México. The studied populations belong to the races: Olotillo (21 populations), Olotón (1 population), Tehua (9 populations), Tepecintle (1population), Tuxpeño (7 populations), Vandeño (10 populations), and Zapalote Grande (3 populations). The most common color grain was blue, followed by light red and purple reddish. The highest CAT was observed in blue grains with a range of 213.6 to 904.0 mg of cyanidin 3-glucoside equiv/kg of sample; the lowest was for the red grains (30.7 to 188.1 mg of chlorated pelargonidin equiv/kg of sample). The blue and purple reddish grain samples showed higher AA than the light red samples. Among races, Olotillo may be better than the others regarding the preparation of foods that require maize grains with a high anthocyanin content and hard texture.