Abstract
The nutraceutical interest in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) seeds is associated with the presence of macronutrients, micronutrients, minerals, vitamins, and polyphenols. In particular, polyphenols contribute to the health-promoting effects of this food crop, and their levels are influenced by environmental conditions. Production of quinoa is recently being explored in temperate climate areas, including Italy. The aim of this research was to assess the profile of bioactive compounds in seeds of two quinoa varieties, Regalona-Baer and Titicaca, grown in northern Italy, compared to that of seeds of those varieties grown in Chile and Denmark, respectively. High-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) analysis of phenolic acid and flavonoid profiles, both in their free and soluble conjugated forms, showed that the main differences between Regalona grown in Chile and Italy were for the free vanillic acid and daidzein contents, while the two Titicaca samples mainly differed in quercetin derivative levels. The total phenolic index was comparable in Titicaca and Regalona, and only a slight decrease in this parameter was found in seeds of the two varieties grown in Italy. The in vitro antioxidant activity of seed extracts, evaluated by means of three different assays, indicated that it correlated with flavonol (quercetin derivative) levels. In conclusion, the results indicate that, although environmental conditions alter the polyphenolic profile and biological activities, it is possible to grow good-quality quinoa in northern Italy.
Highlights
Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) seeds have an excellent nutritional profile [1,2], due to their remarkably high protein content, well-balanced content of essential amino acids comparable, in terms of quality, to that of casein [3], and the presence of dietary fiber, vitamins, and unsaturated fatty acids, e.g., linoleic and α-linolenic acids [2,3,4,5,6]
The nutraceutical interest in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) seeds is associated with the presence of macronutrients, micronutrients, minerals, vitamins, and polyphenols
Polyphenols contribute to the health-promoting effects of this food crop, and their levels are influenced by environmental conditions
Summary
Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) seeds have an excellent nutritional profile [1,2], due to their remarkably high protein content, well-balanced content of essential amino acids comparable, in terms of quality, to that of casein [3], and the presence of dietary fiber, vitamins, and unsaturated fatty acids, e.g., linoleic and α-linolenic acids [2,3,4,5,6]. Quinoa seeds are considered an excellent example of a “functional food”, able to exert healthpromoting effects due to the presence of secondary metabolites [6]. These include phenolic acids and flavonoids [7], as well as terpenoids, steroids, and large amounts of α- and γ-tocopherol, which are known antioxidants [8]. In recent decades, with the boom in demand for “superfoods”, the interest in this ancient Andean halophytic seed-producing crop has become global, and its cultivation has been growing . In the early 1990s, quinoa began to be cultivated in Europe, and the crop has been successfully tested in several Mediterranean countries, such as Greece, Morocco, Spain, and Italy [17,18,19,20]
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