Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the quinoa fruit and seed microstructure, as well as to determine the qualitative composition of quinoa whole seed spatial localisation of food reserves in cultivars Puno and Titicaca using two complementary spectroscopic techniques (Fourier Transform infrared and Raman). The analyses of the seeds also included measurements of the crude proteins and starch contents. The experiment was carried out during the 2016 growing season in rain-fed conditions in the north of Serbia. The analysis of the scores of the principal components based on the Raman spectra revealed two groups in both seed parts (cotyledons and perisperm). The analysis of the loadings highlighted the spectrum region that contributed to the differentiation, e.g. the band at 472 cm−1 was related to the amylopectin content in the perisperm region. As for the cotyledons, the spectral range from 1100 to 1650 cm−1 was responsible for genotype differences and it included both the most important bands derived from Amide I, II and quinoa protein with globoid crystals composed of phytin. IR analysis, similar to the analyses of the crude proteins and starch contents in the seeds, failed to reveal any differences in biochemical composition between two analyzed genotypes.
Highlights
Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a pseudo-cereal crop belonging to the Amaranthaceae family and originated from South America
A similar observation was reported in the study of rice globulins with Raman spectroscopy, where the results revealed the high amount of sulfur containing amino acids such as cysteine or methionine, as constituents of globulins (Ellepola et al, 2006)
This study confirmed the successful application of Raman spectroscopy in the detection of proteins and polysaccharides of quinoa seed storage reserves, and in a straightforward and fast manner
Summary
Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a pseudo-cereal crop belonging to the Amaranthaceae family and originated from South America. It is an annual plant, and currently is in focus due to its high tolerance to various stress factors including frost, drought, salinity (Jacobsen and Muica, 2002), as well as its exceptional nutritional value of seeds and certain vegetative parts of the plants (Gordillo-Bastidas et al, 2016). The major protein fractions are albumins and globulins. They account for 77% of protein in total, whose biological value is comparable to casein. The specific content of amino acids comes from lysine, histidine and a high level of sulfur containing amino acids (cysteine and methionine) (Gordillo-Bastidas et al, 2016)
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