Effect of germination on total phenolic compounds, total antioxidant capacity, Maillard reaction products and oxidative stress markers in canihua (Chenopodium pallidicaule) F. Abderrahim a , E. Huanatico b , R. Repo-Carrasco-Valencia c , S.M. Arribas a , M.C. Gonzalez a , L. Condezo-Hoyos a, * a Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Arzobispo Morcillo 2, Madrid, Spain b Faculty of Agri-food Engineering, Universidad San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Cusco, Peru c Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Av La Molina s/n, La Molina, Lima 100, Peru article info Article history: Received 10 January 2012 Received in revised form 16 April 2012 Accepted 27 April 2012 Keywords: Antioxidant capacity Canihua Germination Pseudo-cereal Maillard reaction products Oxidative stress markers abstract Germination of cereals/pseudo-cereals has been suggested as an effective method to increase antioxidant compounds. However, this process could also lead to high reducing sugar levels and subsequent Maillard reaction products. The aim of this work was to determine the time course effect of canihua (Chenopodium pallidicaule) germination on: 1) antioxidant capacity, 2) extractable and non-extractable phenolic compounds content, 3) Maillard reaction products and 4) oxidative stress markers. Germination increased antioxidant capacity, phenolic compounds and Maillard reaction products, including advanced glycated end products while it decreased oxidative stress markers. All parameters exhibited a similar time course pattern with a maximum at 72 h. In addition to the increase in phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity, canihua germination produced advanced glycated end products. The impact on human health of these compounds in germinated seeds deserves future attention. Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Germination of cereals/pseudo-cereals has been suggested as an inexpensive and effective method to enhance the antioxidant capacity through the increase of low-molecular weight antioxi- dants (Alvarez-Jubete et al., 2010). These improvements in antiox- idant functional properties depend on cereal type and hence the optimal conditions must be established for each seed (Gallegos- Infante et al., 2010). In addition to antioxidant synthesis, other biochemical reactions take place during germination. One of them is the increase of the activities of cell wall hydrolases resulting from the hydration of matrices (Nonogaki et al., 2010). These enzymes are able to degrade carbohydrates into low-molecular weight compounds, resulting in an increase of reducing sugars (Tian et al., 2010). These compounds are implicated in the first step of the Maillard reaction, which is strongly dependent on the concentra- tion of reducing sugars (Martins et al., 2000). Therefore, it is plausible that Maillard reaction products, specifically advanced glycated endproducts (AGEs), might be influenced by germination. Serum levels of these compounds are influenced by a diet con- taining AGEs (Koschinsky et al., 1997), which has been described as a risk factor in several diseases (Barlovic et al., 2011; Ko et al., 2010; Park et al., 2011). Therefore, dietary recommendations have been suggested to minimize risks induced by high-AGE intake. Canihua (Chenopodium pallidicaule), is an Andean annual crop found in semidesert climate at 3600e4400 m altitude (Bolivia and Peru) where it is grown as a secondary spontaneously seeding in quinoa fields of the traditional agricultural system. Canihua usually is referred to as pseudo-cereal since it is not a member of the grass family, but produces seeds that can be milled into flour and used like a cereal crop. It is consumed as gruel-like food, beverage or mixed with wheat for making breads and cakes of the local culinary heritage. Canihua is exceptionally rich in flavonoids, quercetin and isorhamnetin being predominant (Repo-Carrasco-Valencia et al., 2010). Despite having a high content of flavonoids and other phenolic compounds (Penarrieta et al., 2008), the applicability of germination as a strategy to enhance this seed’s nutritional and Abbreviations: AGEs, advanced glycated end products; TAC, total antioxidant capacity. * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ34 91 497 5417; fax: þ34 91 497 5788. E-mail address: luisalberto.condezo@uam.es (L. Condezo-Hoyos). Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Journal of Cereal Science journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jcs 0733-5210/$ e see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jcs.2012.04.013 Journal of Cereal Science 56 (2012) 410e417