Quinoa

The history of quinoa is very ancient, in fact the first domestications of the plants were found at the time of the pre-Columbian populations (Maya and Inca). Cultivation was largely abandoned with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors who replaced this plant with European cereals (wheat and barley), which were much more productive. Quinoa is currently grown throughout the Andean region, the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa.

As regards the nutritional characteristics of the seed, quinoa is a very interesting food due to its nutritional qualities. It is a very important source of proteins, containing 12 to 18% depending on the variety, much higher than the average of traditional cereals.

Much more important, however, is the amino acid composition of these proteins. In fact, it contains high quantities of lysine which is the limiting amino acid of cereals, even if the quantity present does not fully satisfy the FAO/WHO standards for the ideal amino acid composition. However, quinoa protein is of high quality, as it is able to completely satisfy the amino acid needs of adults and almost completely (90%) the needs of children aged between 2 and 5 years, despite its low digestibility.