Researchers at the Institute of Bast Fiber Crops, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, announced on April 20th that in collaboration with the Functional Factor Utilization and Biosynthesis Team, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Shanxi University, and other institutions, they have identified five key compounds responsible for the bitterness of quinoa. This study enriches the theoretical framework of bitter substances in food and provides important references for the debittering of quinoa and the processing of low-bitterness quinoa products.
Yang Xiu Shi in quinoa field. Image provided by interviewee.
The related research findings were published online on April 11th in Food Chemistry.
Quinoa, originally from the Andes Mountains in South America, is a cereal crop with comprehensive nutritional value. It has a balanced proportion of essential amino acids and is rich in functional components such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and peptides. Quinoa exhibits health benefits such as preventing cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and obesity, making it highly valuable for promotion and application in the field of nutrition and health.
Quinoa Spike. Courtesy of the interviewee.
However, quinoa contains bitter substances, making its taste less acceptable and limiting its application in the food industry. Saponins in quinoa are generally considered the main cause of its bitterness, but the key bitter saponins are not clear. Besides saponins, it is unclear whether there are other important bitter substances in quinoa.
Under the guidance of sensory evaluation, researchers used solvent extraction and series column chromatography techniques to separate and purify the bitter components of quinoa. Combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis, they identified five compounds with high content and low bitterness recognition thresholds as the main bitter substances in quinoa. The study confirmed that triterpenoid saponins are important components causing the bitterness of quinoa, among which oleanolic acid derivatives are the main contributors to bitterness, and it was discovered for the first time that maslinic acid derivatives are also closely related to the bitterness of quinoa. The results of the study can provide basic data for the de-bittering and low-bitterness processing of quinoa, and provide important references for the breeding of low-bitter quinoa.
Quinoa is a grain crop native to the Andean region of South America. Image provided by the interviewee.
The research was supported by the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Yuelu Young Talent Project of the Institute of Bast Fiber Crops, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province.
Related paper information: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.139262
