Nutritional Composition of Six Amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus) Andean Varieties

Abstract

Amaranthus caudatus is a nutrient-rich Andean pseudocereal with wide genetic variability. Six productive varieties (Oscar Blanco, Pucara, Tomina, Cotahuasi, Barbechos, and Guindo Criollo) were compared by proximate, mineral, and fatty acid composition. The proximal content showed certain singularities in the varieties. Barbechos and Guindo Criollo stood out for their fat content (9.50% and 9.01%, respectively), while Tomina stood out for their carbohydrate content (72.6%), and Pucara and Oscar Blanco for their fiber content (4.59% and 4.48%, respectively). The mineral content presented differences, highlighting the Ca content for Pucara (108 mg/100 g), and Tomina with micro-minerals (Zn, Mn, Fe, and Cu, 4.67, 5.90, 9.13 and 1.03 mg/100 g, respectively). All varieties showed high tricosanic acid (C23:0) content, and Cotahuasi was highlighted for its high linoleic acid (C18:2) content. Multivariate analysis showed negative correlations between proteins and carbohydrates, and between fat and fiber in their proximal content, as well as between Fe and Na for their mineral content, and C18:1 and C18:2 for the fatty acids. Although certain differences were found, the total nutritional composition tended to have minor differences between the investigated varieties.

Comparison of the Chemical Composition of Six Canihua (Chenopodium pallidicaule) Cultivars Associated with Growth Habits and after Dehulling

“…Phytic acid may also be associated with iron and other polyvalent cations [ 17 ]. As previously found for amaranth, there were no negative relationships where Fe and Na showed a negative correlation [ 21 ]. The highest Fe content is for the Saigua (ascending) cultivars, about 20–30 mg/100 g DM, which can make it a more suitable food for handling iron deficiency than common cereals [ 36 ], a disease that the FAO describes as problematic, especially in pregnant women who are still malnourished and overweight [ 37 ].…”

“…The starch content was determined using an enzymatic total starch kit (Megazyme International Ltd. Co, Wicklow, Ireland), as described by Mérida et al [ 21 ].…”

“…The content of macro (Ca, K, Mg, and Na) and micro minerals (Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn) was obtained by wet digestion of approximately 0.5 g of sample with 5 mL of hydrochloric acid and 3 mL of hydrogen peroxide in a microwave followed by atomic absorption measurements. The P content was obtained by extracting the ash and spectrophotometric analyses using a molybdenum complex [ 21 ].…”

“…The extraction, derivatization, and analysis by gas chromatography of fatty acids were conducted as described previously [ 21 ]. Oil was extracted by a chloroform/methanol (2/1, v / v ) solution.…”