Protein and amino acid levels in quinoa plants and seeds grown in Ontario

藜麦是唯一已知的提供完整植物蛋白质来源（高于大豆）的植物，与传统谷物相比，具有更高的营养和抗氧化作用。藜麦种子比大多数谷物具有更大、更完整的营养概况，具有高水平的高质量蛋白质、有益的不饱和脂肪酸、维生素和矿物质（Matiacevich等人，2006年，Gonzalez等人，2012年）。种子蛋白富含氨基酸，包括谷物中缺乏的赖氨酸、苏氨酸和甲硫氨酸（Stikic等人，2012年）。它们的营养成分也非常丰富;与提供的能量（卡路里）相比，营养成分（维生素和矿物质）的比例高于普通谷物（Ruales和Nair，1993年）。对昆诺阿藜植物的初步分析表明，昆诺阿藜的蛋白质含量和相对饲料价值较高（Katan Kitchenkirk，存档数据）。 加拿大绝大多数藜麦是从玻利维亚和秘鲁进口的。初步试验的结果表明，在安大略可以实现可行的藜麦生产。本研究将评估蛋白质水平以及安大略种植的藜麦的氨基酸谱，以最大限度地提高食品开发的质量。安大略藜麦的生产将通过增加一种高需求作物来改善安大略农业，与其他谷物相比，这种作物具有更高的营养价值。

Quinoa is the only known plant that provides a complete plant protein source (higher than soybeans) and has a higher nutritional and antioxidant profile compared to traditional grains. Quinoa seeds have a greater, more complete nutritional profile than most cereals, with high levels of high quality protein, beneficial unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and minerals (Matiacevich et al., 2006, Gonzalez et al., 2012). The seed proteins are rich in amino acids including lysine, threonine and methionine that are deficient in cereals (Stikic et al., 2012). They are also very nutrient dense; the ratio of nutrients (vitamins and minerals) present compared to the amount of energy (calories) provided is higher than that of common cereals (Ruales and Nair, 1993). Preliminary analyses on quinoa plants demonstrated a high level of protein and relative feed value (Katan Kitchens, data on file). The vast majority of quinoa in Canada is imported from Bolivia and Peru. Results from preliminary trials indicated that a viable production of quinoa is achievable in Ontario. The present research will evaluate the protein levels as well as the amino acid profile of Ontario grown quinoa to maximize quality for use in food product development. Production of Ontario Quinoa will improve Ontario Agriculture by adding a high-demand crop that boasts a higher nutritional profile when compared to other cereals and grains.