Quinoa leaf as a nutritional alternative

Abstract

A. Vazquez-Luna, V. Pimentel Cortés, F. Fuentes Carmona, R. Díaz-Sobac. 2019. Quinoa leaf as a nutritional alternative. Cien. Inv. Agr. 46(2): 137-143. Chenopodium quinoa is an herbaceous plant that possesses green polymorphic leaves. They are traditionally consumed in America and are considered nutritive vegetables. Most vegetables are considered valuable sources of micronutrients, such as mineral, vitamins, carbohydrates and dietetic fiber; however, because they are poor in proteins, they are considered to have no energetic value. The consumption of vegetables generates a satiety sensation and favors the reduction of total calories consumed. Quinoa leaves can be consumed raw when they are ripe or steam cooked; they retain most of their vitamins and minerals. The FAO considers quinoa to be the "perfect food", and it is not only used in common diets, but it is also suitable for the unique diets of those that are vegetarian or high-performance athletes as well as those with celiac disease and diabetes. The objective of this work was to determine the nutritional value of quinoa leaves. For every test, dried and powdered quinoa leaves were used, and the following parameters were determined: total polyphenols, total flavonoids, proteins, carbohydrates, reducing sugars, water content, ash content, and raw fiber, and the flavonoids were determined by HPLC. The results obtained for the polyphenols were 131.8 ± 10.3 mg 100 g -1 and 62.07 ± 5.1 mg 100 g -1 for flavonoids, and the main compounds were gallic acid, kaempferol and catechin. The content of proteins was 11.8 ± 0.6%, the carbohydrates was 18.3 ± 0.9, the reducing sugars were 3.2 ± 0.27%, the water content was 2.8 ± 0.9%, the ash content was 1.4 ± 0.14%, and the raw fiber content was 43.7 ± 3.9%. Based on the nutritional profile and the content of polyphenols and total flavonoids, quinoa leaves can be considered an alternative for human consumption because they offer interesting potential in nutrients and antioxidant capacity, which is a dietary requirement.

Quinoa in Ecuador: Recent Advances under Global Expansion

“…Their nutritional profile surpasses the grain, and they possess interesting potential in nutrition and food. Quinoa leaves can be used in the preparation of salads, soups, main dishes, and as raw material to enter the food industry, which wants to offer a continuous movement of new products in order to remain in the market, thereby contributing to the change of the production matrix [ 76 , 77 ].…”

The potential of young vegetative quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) as a new sustainable protein-rich winter leafy crop under Mediterranean climate

“…The green leaves and tender stalks have high nutritional value and can be consumed raw or cooked, similar to, for instance, spinach [29,30]. Several studies have reported that the PC in quinoa leaves is greater than in quinoa grains, reaching over 25-37% in the DM, compared to 9.1-15.7% in grains [29,31,32]. The proximate composition of quinoa leaves’ crude fat, crude fiber, carbohydrates and energy is 2.4- 4.5%, 6.9-7.8%, 34% and 325 Kcal, respectively.…”

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa): Nutritional composition and bioactive compounds of grain and leaf, and impact of heat treatment and germination

“…La quinua posee hojas que son igual de ricas en valores nutricionales y compuestos bioactivos. Se consumen tradicionalmente en América y se consideran vegetales nutritivos (Vazquez-Luna, 2019). Además, hay informes donde indican la idoneidad del uso potencial de la planta joven de quinua como un nuevo cultivo de verduras de hoja no tradicional, por presentar características nutricionales potenciales (Abd et al, 2018).…”