ABSTRACT:
Edible green leaves have been widely recognized for their functional, pharmacological and nutritional potential bestowed by their rich phytochemical and nutrient profiles. Nonetheless, leaf maturity has been known to influence the proportion of bioactive components and nutrients, thereby influencing their functional and nutritional potential. The present study comparatively estimated the nutritional content, phytochemical profile and functional attributes, including antioxidant, prebiotic, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial capabilities of Malabar spinach (Basella alba) and White Kosala (Amaranthus viridis) greens across three different stages of leaf maturity, viz., microgreens, baby greens, and mature greens. Whereas AOAC's recommended procedures were used for analyzing the key nutrient and phytochemical parameters, antioxidant potential was measured through DPPH and reducing power tests, followed by prebiotic, antidiabetic and antimicrobial potential by proliferation of probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus, amylase activity inhibition and disk diffusion assay against bacteria and fungi, respectively. Interestingly, the retention of the functional properties was also determined in an in vitro imitated human digestive environment. The significance of the data was calculated by using the two-tailed T distribution at p-value = 0.05. The findings demonstrated microgreens to display the most favourable profile, with higher concentrations of macronutrients, essential minerals (iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium), vitamins (vitamin C and ß-carotene), and bioactive constituents (flavonoid, phenols, alkaloids and saponins). They also exhibited enhanced stability and stronger antioxidant, antidiabetic, antimicrobial and prebiotic activities, which were largely retained under in vitro mimicked gastrointestinal habitat. Overall, the study highlighted stage-specific differences, with microgreens offering the greatest functional and nutritional advantages, underscoring their potential in therapeutic, pharmacological and dietary strategies to address health malfunctions, deficiencies and food insecurity.