Quinoa (5kg Super Value Pack)

QUINOA

 

Quinoa is herbaceous annual flowering plant of Amaranthaceae family. It is related to spinach and amaranth like plants. Quinoa is grown as crop for its seeds which are of high nutritional value. Quinoa is not a cereal like wheat or rice but it is a pseudo cereal.

ORIGIN OF QUINOA

The origin of Quinoa is believed to be in the Andean region of northwestern South America. The consumption of Quinoa seeds as food by South American people of Andean region is as ancient as four thousand years ago.

Few years back the crop was grown and consumed mainly in South American regions but now many countries of America, Europe and Asia including India are growing this crop in large amount because of high nutritional value of its seeds.

DESCRIPTION OF PLANT

The botanical name of Quinoa is Chenopodium quinoa. It is a dicotyledonous annual plant of 3-7 feet height. It is not grass but regarded as pseudocereal. It has broad, hairy and loabed leaves. The stem is branched or unbranched. The stem is woody and solid. It may be green or purple in colour. The flower panicles arise from the top of the plant or from the leaf axis. The flowers are of two types i.e. perfect flower and pistillate flower. The seeds are about 2mm in diameter and of white, red or black colour depending on variety of plant. The seeds have an outer coating of saponins which are bitter in taste and make the seeds unpalatable.

CULTIVATION OF THE PLANT

Quinoa can be grown as summer as well as winter crop. It can thrive in a wide temperature and moisture range. It can be grown in soil with limited moisture and a rainfall of 100mm. It is said to be a water efficient crop. However the crop yield can be increased by irrigation. The plant requires well-drained soil for better growth. Water logging results in crop loss.

There are many varieties of Quinoa but the commercially cultivated varieties are plants with white, red and black or purple seeds.

The harvesting is done after 3-4 months of sowing. Traditionally the harvesting is done manually and rarely by machines. Machine harvesting is not preferable as the maturity period of seeds is variable.

The crop is not harvested until the stalk and seeds dry up and the moisture content of seed reaches below 10%. The dried seeds are stored raw or they are washed to remove the saponin coating and dried again before storage.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF QUINOA

The Quinoa is considered as a super food or health food for its nutritional values.

It is gluten free it is regarded as non-allergen grain.

It is a non GMO crop and usually grown organically.

It has a high amount of protein and has all nine essential amino acids like lysine, isoleucine in adequate amounts.

 It is also a good source of antioxidants. Antioxidant flavonoids like quercetin and kaempferol are present in good amounts.

 It also contains the anti-inflammatory polysaccharides like arabinans and rhamnogalacturanans.

It is a good source of vitamin E (tocopherol).

Quinoa also contains adequate amounts of phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper, folate and dietary fibres.

Quinoa has a low glycemic index which is considered good for people with heart diseases and type 2 diabetes.

It is also a good option for people who want to lose weight and gain good health.

 

PROMOTIONS OF QUINOA THROUGHOUT WORLD

Recognising the value and role of this crop in food security, nutrition and poverty eradication the United Nations General Assembly declared the year 2013 as “International Year of Quinoa”.

According to FAO, Quinoa has high nutritional values. It has no cholesterol and doesn’t cause allergies. It is so nutritious that NASA feeds it to crews on long space missions. It is a natural, healthy and easily grown food.

Since past few years about 70 countries of the world is promoting this crop as healthy and easily available food source option. In India also many state governments are encouraging the farmers to grow this crop.