IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jagris/v15y2025i10p1054-d1654720.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Comparative Phytochemical and Biological Profiling of Zea mays L. Varieties in Cotopaxi Region

Author

Listed:
  • Raluca A. Mihai

    (Department of Life Science and Agriculture, Universidad de Las Fuerzas Armadas—ESPE, Av. General Ruminahui s/n y, Sangolqui 171103, Ecuador)

  • Ramiro Fernando Vivanco Gonzaga

    (Department of Life Science and Agriculture, Universidad de Las Fuerzas Armadas—ESPE, Av. General Ruminahui s/n y, Sangolqui 171103, Ecuador)

  • Damián O. Calero Rondal

    (Department of Life Science and Agriculture, Universidad de Las Fuerzas Armadas—ESPE, Av. General Ruminahui s/n y, Sangolqui 171103, Ecuador)

  • Dámaris A. Teneda Jijón

    (Department of Life Science and Agriculture, Universidad de Las Fuerzas Armadas—ESPE, Av. General Ruminahui s/n y, Sangolqui 171103, Ecuador)

  • Nelson Santiago Cubi Insuaste

    (Department of Life Science and Agriculture, Universidad de Las Fuerzas Armadas—ESPE, Av. General Ruminahui s/n y, Sangolqui 171103, Ecuador)

  • Christian D. Borja Tacuri

    (Department of Life Science and Agriculture, Universidad de Las Fuerzas Armadas—ESPE, Av. General Ruminahui s/n y, Sangolqui 171103, Ecuador)

  • Rodica D. Catana

    (Institute of Biology Bucharest of Romanian Academy, 296 Splaiul Independentei, 060031 Bucharest, Romania)

Abstract

Background: This research evaluated the metabolic and antioxidant activity in red, white, and yellow corn varieties cultivated in the Cotopaxi region. Methods: Colorimetric methods were used for the total phenolic content and total flavonoids, while the LC-MS method was used for the metabolic profile. Also, assays like ABTS, FRAP, and DPPH were used to determine their ability to neutralize free radicals and reduce oxidants. Results: Red corn contains a significantly higher level of natural bioactive compounds compared to other varieties. Phenolics and flavonoids are crucial in antioxidant capacity, contributing significantly to scavenging free radicals and reducing oxidants. Comparative analysis of the biological properties and bioactive compounds in these maize varieties provides treasured insights into the fitness ability advantages of consuming red corn, emphasizing the importance of phenolics and flavonoids in its antioxidant activity. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that red corn could offer greater health benefits compared to white and yellow corn, underscoring the importance of ongoing studies of the biological properties and bioactive compounds in different maize varieties.

Suggested Citation

  • Raluca A. Mihai & Ramiro Fernando Vivanco Gonzaga & Damián O. Calero Rondal & Dámaris A. Teneda Jijón & Nelson Santiago Cubi Insuaste & Christian D. Borja Tacuri & Rodica D. Catana, 2025. "Comparative Phytochemical and Biological Profiling of Zea mays L. Varieties in Cotopaxi Region," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-13, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:10:p:1054-:d:1654720
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/10/1054/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/10/1054/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:10:p:1054-:d:1654720. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.