Abstract
Abstract Amaranth grain is reputed to have a high nutritional value, and as a plant, be tolerant to adverse weather conditions. This suggests that grain amaranth could be useful in tackling malnutrition and the growing burden of cardiometabolic diseases. However, there is insufficient knowledge at present about how the nutrient composition and digestibility of amaranth grain varies with growing environment, crop genotype, and post-harvest processing. We investigated the effect of the source and processing of amaranth grains on the digestibility of protein and lipid present in the grains. There was variation in the composition and digestibility of raw grains from different sources, indicating a role of genotype and/or growing environment which warrants further investigation. The greatest differences in digestibility were measured between the different processing techniques. This indicates that efforts to increase the cultivation and consumption of grain amaranth need to be supported by education about effective processing and preparation techniques.
Highlights
Consumption of grain amaranth (Amaranthus sp.) has been associated with various positive health effects, in particular the reduction of cardiovascular disease risks such as blood cholesterol levels (CaselatoSousa & Amaya-Farfan, 2012; Jimoh, Afolayan, & Lewu, 2018)
The present study provides evidence that processing has a marked effect on the digestibility of macronutrients, namely lipids and proteins; ground amaranth being the most digestible form
These results suggest that the cell wall of amaranth acts as a physical barrier that prevents the diffusion of enzymes and other digestive agents
Summary
Consumption of grain amaranth (Amaranthus sp.) has been associated with various positive health effects, in particular the reduction of cardiovascular disease risks such as blood cholesterol levels (CaselatoSousa & Amaya-Farfan, 2012; Jimoh, Afolayan, & Lewu, 2018). The amaranth plant is reputed to be highly tolerant to pests, diseases and other environmental constraints such as drought stress (Myers, 1996). This pseudo-cereal has been seen as a useful food source for smallholder farmers facing challenging climatic conditions (Dinssa et al, 2016; Peiretti, 2018). It is unclear whether the nutritional benefits of the amaranth grain are retained in challenging climatological and agronomical conditions. Most attention has been dedicated to the study of growth, yield and nutritional composition of grain amaranth subjected to environmental stress or constraint
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