Characterizing quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) starch composition and structure to diversify its use in human diet formulations

藜麦是一种原产于南美洲的假谷物，在印加文明中它是饮食的重要组成部分。在过去的二十年里，藜麦在世界范围内获得了相当大的兴趣，因为它能够在不利的条件下生产性地生长，并且谷物营养成分比大多数谷物都要上级。藜麦的食用方式与大米相似，但藜麦蛋白质浓度更高，与小麦相似。藜麦蛋白质富含赖氨酸，这是一种所有谷物中都缺乏的必需氨基酸。藜麦蛋白质被比作酪蛋白或牛奶蛋白。藜麦的淀粉组成和结构也表现出广泛的多样性，这影响了其消化率和人体对葡萄糖的利用率以及血糖指数。北方藜麦生产公司（NQPC，NorQuin）是一家专业谷物和食品加工公司，总部设在萨斯喀彻温省萨斯卡通，专注于开发新的藜麦，其谷物成分有益于人类健康。拟议的研究旨在优化高通量谷物分析方法，以确定藜麦谷物成分。优化的方法将用于鉴定具有所需谷物成分的藜麦基因型，用于藜麦育种计划，以加速开发具有额外健康益处的新品种。该项目的成功完成将为加拿大和国际消费者提供一种新的谷物。饮食多样性伊萨实现营养安全的关键，因为藜麦富含多种微量营养素，将被添加到人类饮食中。淀粉不易消化的谷物对预防和控制肥胖及相关慢性病非常有用。对于农业生产者来说，新的藜麦品种将增加作物的多样性，因为藜麦可以在不利的条件下种植。NQPC是一家垂直整合的公司，从田间到叉车，能够利用这项研究的结果，为加拿大生产商和消费者带来利益。该研究项目的顺利完成将有助于全球营养安全，开发适应气候变化的作物，为新的农业范式重塑健康和营养农业。

Quinoa is a pseudocereal (grain like) native to South America, where it formed an important component in thediet of Incan civilization. In the last two decades, Quinoa has gained considerable interest worldwide due to itsability to productively grow under less favorable conditions and grain nutritional composition is superior tomost of the cereal grains. Quinoa is consumed in a manner similar to rice but Quinoa protein concentration ishigher and similar to wheat. Quinoa proteins are rich in lysine, an essential amino acid deficient in all cerealgrains. Quinoa protein has been compared to casein or milk proteins. Quinoa grain also shows a wide diversityin starch composition and structure that influences its digestibility and the availability of glucose to humanbody and glycemic index. Northern Quinoa Production Corporation (NQPC, NorQuin) is a specialty grain andfood processing company headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, that is focused to develop new Quinoacultivars with grain composition beneficial for human health. The proposed research aims to optimize highthroughput grain analyses methods to determine Quinoa grain composition. The optimized methods will beused to identify Quinoa genotypes with desired grain composition to be used in a Quinoa breeding program toaccelerate the development of new varieties with added health benefits. Successful completion of this projectwill provide a new grain to be included in the diet for Canadian and international consumers. Diet diversity isa key to achieve nutritional security as Quinoa is rich in several micronutrients that will be added to the humandiet. Grains with less digestible starch will be very useful to prevent and manage obesity and associated chronicdiseases. For agricultural producers, new Quinoa varieties will add to crop diversification as Quinoa can becultivated in less favorable conditions. NQPC is a vertically integrated company working from field to forkcapable to utilize the results of this research for the benefit of Canadian producers and consumers. Successfulcompletion of this research project will contribute to global nutritional security, develop a climate resilient cropfor the new agricultural paradigm reshaping agriculture for health and nutrition.