Cereal Chem 69:85-88   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Nutrients and Antinutrients in Quinoa Seed.

G. S. Chauhan, N. A. M. Eskin, and R. Tkachuk. Copyright 1992 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Quinoa seeds, manually and water dehulled, were ground into meal and milled into bran and flour. The protein content of the whole seed was 13.7%, with bran, flour, and hulls accounting for 65, 28-30, and 7% of the total protein, respectively. Seeds prepared by manual dehulling were all higher in lysine and sulfur amino acids, which are typical of legumes and cereals. Mineral analysis showed that quinoa seed fractions were all rich in Ca P, and Fe. Examination of antinutrients indicated very little trypsin inhibitor activity. The saponin content was quite low in the quinoa variety examined, with 34% located in the hulls. Although manual dehulling reduced the saponin content, a further reduction in saponin was obtained by water extraction.