## 3 Results and Discussion  
Aqueous and methanolic extracts were prepared from various cereals, pseudocoreals and chia seeds to evaluate their antiglycative properties. Grains and seeds displayed a wide range of solubility from 7.2% to 25.6% in the extracts (Table 1). Higher solubility was mostly reached in aqueous extracts (from 10.5% in wheat to 25.6% in chia) than in methanolic extracts (from 7.2% in rice to 11.1% in chia). This fact was probably due to the lower solubility of the major constituents such as carbohydrates and proteins in the organic solvent [18; 19]. Minimal variations were observed in the pH values, ranging between 6.4-6.7 in aqueous extracts and between 6.9-7.7 in methanolic extracts. To assess the inhibitory effect of the extracts on AGE formation, fluorescence intensity was measured in different in vitro glycation models, using aminoguanidine as the control for AGE inhibition. Extracts were evaluated at the concentration of 25 mg/mL, corresponding to a final concentration in the reaction medium of 3.6 mg/mL The BSA-Glc model was selected to assess the early stages of protein glycation, as the glycation process initiates the reaction between reducing sugars and proteins. BSA is chosen for these assays due to its resemblance to human serum albumin, while glucose is selected as the sugar source, given its ubiquitous presence in the human body [20]. Conversely, the BSA-MGO model was employed to evaluate the intermediate stages of protein glycation, as MGO is an intermediary compound formed through the auto-oxidation of glucose and lipid peroxidation [21]. In this scenario, MGO is selected as the highly reactive dicarbonyl compound generated under in vivo conditions during protein glycation. MGO binds to the amino groups of proteins, thereby contributing to the production of AGEs [22; 23]. In vitro glycation assays revealed significant inhibition of AGE formation by both aqueous and methanolic extracts of all the grains and seeds (Figure 2A,B). Most samples exhibited significant differences in AGEs-inhibitory activity (\(p<0.05\)). In the BSA-Glc assay, AGEs-inhibitory rates ranged from 7.8% to 98.3%. The buckwheat methanolic extract demonstrated the highest inhibitory capacity, closely resembling the effect of the AG solution (average inhibitory rate 92.9%), followed by chia with 83.2% and 80.1% inhibition in aqueous and methanolic extracts, respectively. Conversely, amaranth methanolic extracts exhibited the lowest inhibitory activity. Buckwheat and chia methanolic extracts also demonstrated the highest reduction in the formation of fluorescent AGEs in the BSA-MGO assay (over 80-90%), while amaranth, wheat and rye displayed the lowest inhibitory activity (range: 7.8-19.4%). In this model, the highest values for the AGEs-inhibitory rate were below the effect of the AG solution (with an average inhibitory rate of 99.7%). The proposed mechanisms for inhibiting AGE formation in vivo can be categorized as blocking protein glycation sites, neutralizing oxidative free radicals, modulating AGEs receptors, trapping active dicarbonyl compounds, sequestering metal ions, blocking albose reductase activity, and decreasing blood glucose levels [6]. Among them, the reduction of the levels of the carbonyl compound and the scavenging of oxidative free radicals have been described as the most important inhibitory mechanisms [6]. MGO is the most extensively studied of the reactive dicarbonyls responsible for the majority of in vivo AGEs [24]. The fate of dicarbonyl compounds in the glycation process is relevant because they are nearly up to 20,000-fold more reactive than glucose and the circulating levels are increased during hyperglycemia [25]. Therefore, an evaluation of the direct MGO-trapping