Nutritional and Phenolic Profile of Early and Late Harvested Amaranth Leaves Grown Under Cultivated Conditions

Amaranth leaves are edible vegetables with high nutritional value that depends on the harvest stage. This study evaluated the nutritional and chemical profile of amaranth leaves harvested at days 65 and 120. Samples were collected, air-dried, and milled to pass through a 1-mm sieve before analysis. Higher (p < 0.05) crude protein (CP) and gross energy (GE) were observed in early harvested leaves than late harvested leaves. In addition, late harvested leaves had higher (p < 0.05) calcium, magnesium, and sodium contents than early harvested leaves; early harvested leaves had higher (p < 0.05) threonine, lysine, and leucine contents than late harvested leaves. Furthermore, early harvested leaves showed higher (p < 0.05) rutin, hyperoside, tryptophan, quercetin, and kaempferol rutinoside contents than late harvested leaves. A strong positive correlation was observed between nutrition composition and phenolic compounds. It can be concluded that both early and late harvested amaranth leaves are a promising source of nutrients and phenolic compounds that can help in providing new opportunities for their use in the food and pharmaceutical industries.