The impact of different agroecological conditions on the nutritional composition of quinoa seeds
- Published
- Accepted
- Subject Areas
- Agricultural Science, Biochemistry, Food Science and Technology, Plant Science
- Keywords
- quinoa, seed, agroecological conditions, nutritional properties
- Copyright
- © 2018 Reguera et al.
- Licence
- This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ Preprints) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.
- Cite this article
- 2018. The impact of different agroecological conditions on the nutritional composition of quinoa seeds. PeerJ Preprints 6:e26439v1 https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.26439v1
Abstract
Quinoa cultivation has been expanded around the world in the last decade and is considered an exceptional crop with the potential of contributing to food security worldwide. The exceptional nutritional value of quinoa seeds relies on their high protein content, their amino acid profile that includes a good balance of essential amino acids, the mineral composition and the presence of antioxidants and other important nutrients such as fiber or vitamins. Although several studies have pointed to the influence of different environmental stresses in certain nutritional components little attention has been paid to the effect of the agroecological context on the nutritional properties of the seeds what may strongly impact on the consumer food´s quality. Thus, aiming to evaluate the effect of the agroecological conditions on the nutritional profile of quinoa seeds we analyzed three quinoa cultivars (Salcedo-INIA, Titicaca and Regalona) at different locations (Spain, Peru and Chile). The results revealed that several nutritional parameters such as the amino acid profile, the protein content, the mineral composition and the phytate amount in the seeds depend on the location and cultivar while other parameters such as saponin or fiber were more sable across locations. Our results support the notion that nutritional characteristics of seeds may be determined by seed´s origin and further analysis are needed to define the exact mechanisms that control the changes in the seeds nutritional properties.
Author Comment
This is a submission to PeerJ for review.
Supplemental Information
Absolute values of mineral of three cultivars of C. quinoa seeds growing at three different locations
Values are Mean ± Stnd Dev (n=4).
Raw Data FRAP and Protein content
FRAP and protein content were determined as described in the Methods section. Data is presented in Figures 3 y 5.
Raw Data Amino Acid content
Free amino acids were extracted from quinoa Seeds and analyze according to what is described in the Methods section. Data is presented in Figure 4.
Raw Data Agronomical Parameters
Agronomical parameters presented in Table 1 were determined in the three quinoa cultivars at the three locations.
Ra Data Fiber and Saponin contents
Fiber and Saponine were deterine in quinoa seeds as described in the Methods section. Data is presented in Figures 6 and 7.
Raw Data Mineral composition
Mineral composition of seeds was determined as described in the Methods section and final data is presented in Figure 1
Raw Data Phytic Acid content
Phytate was determined in seeds according to the methodology described in Methods. Final data is presented in Figure 2.