Quinoa (Chenopodium Quinoa Willd.) is a highly nutritious source of grains
Fatemah, A.S. Hussein
Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Beni-Suef University, Cairo, Egypt.
Amany, M. Basuny
Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Beni-Suef University, Cairo, Egypt.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8322-8347
Hossam, E. Farghaly
Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Beni-Suef University, Cairo, Egypt.
Fouad. O. Fouad Abou-Zaid
Agriculture, Industrialization Unit, Plant Production Department, Desert Research Center, Cairo, Egypt.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20448/wsr.v12i1.6792
Keywords: Amino acids, Bioactive components, Fatty acids, Flavonoids, Phenolic compounds, Quinoa seeds.
Abstract
The main objective of this paper is the chemical evaluation of quinoa seeds (Chenopodium quinoa wild). The chemical composition, mineral content, active compounds (polyphenols, flavonoids, and tocopherols), vitamins, amino acids, and fatty acids of quinoa seeds were estimated. The results indicate that quinoa seeds are rich in minerals, the most important of which are Ca and K. They are also rich in biologically active compounds that play an effective role as antioxidants, the most important of which are phenolic compounds (455 ppm), flavonoids (245 ppm), tocopherols (505 ppm), and finally vitamins (A, C, and D), which are effective in preventing many diseases. The results also showed that quinoa seeds contain essential amino acids, which amount to 35.78 g/100 g, respectively, so it contains high-quality protein.Also, the main essential fatty acid in quinoa seeds is Linoleic (55.00%), which is known as Omega 6, then alpha-linolenic acid (9.49%).Therefore, quinoa seeds have a distinct composition of important nutritional elements and are considered a high-nutrition alternative to grains. Finally, more studies should be conducted on these high nutritional value seeds and they should be included in many products as an alternative to grains.