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Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa): Potential of the “Golden Grain” for Food and Nutritional Security in South Asia

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Neglected Plant Foods Of South Asia

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Abstract

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), is gaining worldwide popularity due to its exceptional grain quality and robust production potential under difficult growing conditions. Quinoa has attracted a global growing interest due its unique nutritional value and greater quality protein content than other cereals and may be used as a substitute for milk proteins. Greater amount of high quality protein, essential amino acids, carbohydrates, minerals, dietary fibers, essential fatty acids, vitamins and essential minerals make quinoa a well-balanced composition. Quinoa’s protein boosts metabolism, encourages weight loss, and reduces hunger by increasing level of satiety. Quinoa is easy to cook, has versatility in preparation, and could be cultivated in different environments. For these reasons, quinoa, previously considered a food of low social prestige, is now the focus of attention of many countries worldwide. Quinoa’s ability to produce high-protein grains under ecologically extreme conditions makes it important for the diversification of future agricultural systems, especially in high-altitude area of the Himalayas and North Indian Plains. This chapter comprehensively discusses nutritional and phytochemical properties of quinoa and physiological effects of quinoa’s consumption on metabolic health, immunomodulation, hyperglycemia and weight management. The study also shed light on significance of quinoa processing in reducing intrinsic toxicants or antinutrients and improving nutritional and sensory quality attributes of the golden grains.

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Conflicts of Interest

All authors read and approved the final manuscript and declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Food Science & Nutrition, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan

    Muhammad Younis, Dur-e-Shahwar Sattar & Raheel Suleman

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  1. Muhammad Younis
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  2. Dur-e-Shahwar Sattar
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  3. Raheel Suleman
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Correspondence to Raheel Suleman .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science and Technology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan

    Tariq Ismail

  2. Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan

    Saeed Akhtar

  3. Department of Food Technology Engineering and Nutrition, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Claudia E. Lazarte

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Younis, M., Sattar, DeS., Suleman, R. (2023). Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa): Potential of the “Golden Grain” for Food and Nutritional Security in South Asia. In: Ismail, T., Akhtar, S., Lazarte, C.E. (eds) Neglected Plant Foods Of South Asia. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37077-9_14

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