Comprehensive analysis in the nutritional composition, phenolic species and in vitro antioxidant activities of different pea cultivars

In this study, ten pea (Pisum sativum L.) varieties were compared in their nutrient composition, phenolic compounds, antioxidant properties and their diversity were deciphered by multivariate analysis of correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). The ten pea cultivars are rich in nutrients with different contents in lipid (0.57 to 3.52%), dietary fiber (11.34 to 16.13%), soluble sugar (17.53 to 23.99%), protein (19.75 to 26.48%) and starch (32.56 to 48.57%). Through the UPLC-QTOF-MS and HPLC-QQQ-MS/MS analysis, the ethanol extracts of ten peas mainly included 12 kinds of phenolic substances and showed good antioxidant activities on the 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). The phenolic content and protocatechuic acid showed a positive correlation with antioxidant capacity. All results provide theoretical basis for the development and rational application of different varieties of peas and their related products.