Abstract
Chenopodium quinoa Willd (quinoa) has acquired an increased agronomical and nutritional relevance due to the capacity of adaptation to different environments and the exceptional nutritional properties of their seeds. These include high mineral and protein contents, a balanced amino acid composition, an elevated antioxidant capacity related to the high phenol content, and the absence of gluten. Although it is known that these properties can be determined by the environment, limited efforts have been made to determine the exact changes occurring at a nutritional level under changing environmental conditions in this crop. To shed light on this, this study aimed at characterizing variations in nutritional-related parameters associated with the year of cultivation and different genotypes. Various nutritional and physiological traits were analyzed in seeds of different quinoa cultivars grown in the field during three consecutive years. We found differences among cultivars for most of the nutritional parameters analyzed. It was observed that the year of cultivation was a determinant factor in every parameter studied, being 2018 the year with lower yields, germination rates, and antioxidant capacity, but higher seed weights and seed protein contents. Overall, this work will greatly contribute to increase our knowledge of the impact of the environment and genotype on the nutritional properties of quinoa seeds, especially in areas that share climatic conditions to Southern Europe.
Highlights
Chenopodium quinoa Willd, commonly known as quinoa, belongs to the Amaranthaceae family native to the Andean region (Wilson, 1990; Alandia et al, 2020)
In seasons 2017 and 2019, quinoa seeds were sown in April and May, respectively
To analyze the effects of environmental conditions on saponin content in quinoa seeds, we studied the saponin content of two different cultivars: Titicaca cv., considered a bitter cultivar due to the higher concentration of saponin in its seeds, and Vikinga cv., a sweet cultivar with lower saponin content
Summary
Chenopodium quinoa Willd, commonly known as quinoa, belongs to the Amaranthaceae family native to the Andean region (Wilson, 1990; Alandia et al, 2020). Quinoa is a very valued food for its high protein content, which is higher than that of cereal crops like barley, wheat, maize, and rice (Koziol, 1992) This protein is of higher quality since it contains all amino acids essential for human consumption (including lysine, methionine, and cysteine). The high content of vitamins (A, B, and E) and polyphenols, like phenolic acids or flavonoids, contribute to this high antioxidant capacity, and make of quinoa seeds an excellent example of “functional food,” since these antioxidants may prevent cancer, cardiovascular and other chronic diseases (Pasko et al, 2009; Tang and Tsao, 2017). Given quinoa’s nutritional quality and its ability to grow in a wide range of climatological conditions, the FAO considers that this crop has the potential for playing an important role in worldwide food security (Ruiz et al, 2014; FAO and CIRAD, 2015)
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