Abstract
Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a crop belonging to the Chenopodiaceae family that originated in the high Andean region of South America. Currently, the main producers of quinoa are Bolivia and Peru; this crop groups around 250 species and 3000 varieties. It has a high adaptability, which allows it to be cultivated in cold climates in the high Andean regions, as well as in subtropical conditions, and grows from sea level to more than 4000 meters above sea level. Due to its high nutritional value and nutritional properties, quinoa is considered “one of the grains of the 21st century.” It is high in protein without gluten, polyunsaturated fatty acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, as well as high levels of bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, bioactive peptides, phytosteroid betalains, phytosterols, and saponins. From quinoa, a protein concentrate of high biological value can be extracted due to its content of the nine essential amino acids, as well as an oil with high antioxidant activity due to its high levels of tocopherols. These by-products have a high economic and commercial value and can be produced on an industrial scale for use in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries.
Highlights
Quinoa is a plant of the Chenopodium genus original from South America and well distributed in countries that belonged to the Inca empire, located on the Andean mountain range, from southern Colombia through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and up to northern Chile [1]
The different results of the detection of phenolic compounds in quinoa seeds in the world, in the first place, are that the crops analyzed in China were of a white and pigmented variety, where the grain was subjected to grinding to observe to what extent this can affect the content of these components; it is known that phenolic compounds are present in the outer layers of the grain, where the total phenolic content of the pigmented varieties were 2–3 times higher than white varieties
Quinoa is a food that is produced mainly in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador and has nutritional characteristics superior to many vegetables. It is recognized as a complete food due to the quality of proteins, fiber, minerals, and vitamins; in addition to being gluten-free, it has allowed the development of new food products and is even used in an unconventional way as a nutraceutical, in the production of edible films, and as a stabilizing agent for emulsions
Summary
Quinoa is a plant of the Chenopodium genus original from South America and well distributed in countries that belonged to the Inca empire, located on the Andean mountain range, from southern Colombia through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and up to northern Chile [1]. It is considered one of the oldest crops in the Americas. Quinoa has a high soluble sugar content that can cause decrease of the freezing point and the lethal temperature of the leaf tissue [4] It is designated as a “pseudocereal” and even as an oleaginous “ pseudocereal” [5], and due to its characteristic of resistance and tolerance to stress and its nutritional and biological properties, quinoa has been described as “one of the grains of the 21st century” [6]
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