Ontario quinoa industry optimization

藜麦是一种高营养的假谷物，原产于南美洲。绝大多数藜麦是由自给农民种植的，但人们对藜麦作为高质量营养食品来源的兴趣正在增加，反过来，对全面发展的商业规模生产系统的需求也很高。在过去的五年里，安大略和加拿大的藜麦市场显著增长，预计达到1900万磅。到2016年底进口到加拿大（加拿大统计局，2016年）。对南美藜麦纯度、质量和可获得性的担忧，加上北美对藜麦作为种子和功能性食品成分的需求日益增加，促使研究人员进一步探索在加拿大实现这种替代性伪谷物作物商业化生产所需的农艺条件。Katan Kitchell，一家位于安大略的公司，在过去的六年里，他一直在研究安大略的藜麦生产。在为加拿大生产开发了农艺实践，并通过自然育种技术开发了独特的藜麦品种后，该公司现已于2016年将其新的高营养藜麦种子推向初步市场。在与圭尔夫大学研究人员的合作中，他们的主要重点是开发安大略藜麦产业的价值链，以继续向价值链利益相关者证实经济模式，并从这种新作物的开发中生产新的高质量产品。为了继续发展加拿大的藜麦产业，需要进一步研究育种和农艺最佳实践，以便在安大略提供稳定、一致的产量，重点是高营养的藜麦种子最终产品。此外，有机会开发皂苷，藜麦加工的副产品，作为一个单独的最终产品。纯度、可追溯性、监测和跟踪模型也正在得到证实，以供今后使用。该项目的成功将成为未来新的高价值作物和产品的典范，以提高加拿大的经济多样性和高质量食品的领导地位。

Quinoa is a highly nutritious pseudocereal originating from South America. The large majority of quinoa is grown by subsistence farmers, but interest in quinoa as a high quality nutritious food source is increasing, and in turn the need for fully-developed commercial scale production systems is high. The quinoa market in Ontario and Canada has grown significantly over the past five years, to an expected 19 M lbs. imported into Canada by the end of 2016 (Stats Canada, 2016). Concerns with purity, quality and access to quinoa from South America, in combination with the increasingly high demand in North America for quinoa as a seed and functional food ingredient, has triggered researchers to further pursue the agronomic conditions required to achieve commercial production of this alternative pseudo-cereal crop across Canada.Katan Kitchens, an Ontario based company, has spent the past six years researching quinoa production in Ontario. Having developed agronomic practices for Canadian production, as well as having developed a unique quinoa variety through natural breeding techniques, the company has now brought their new, highly nutritious quinoa seed to preliminary markets in 2016. In partnerships with University of Guelph researchers, their main focus is to develop the value chain for the quinoa industry in Ontario in order to continue to substantiate the economic model to value chain stakeholders, and produce new, high quality products from the development of this new crop. To continue development of the quinoa industry in Canada, further research on breeding and agronomic best practices is required in order to provide stable, consistent yields within Ontario, with a focus on a highly nutritious quinoa seed end product. In addition, there is an opportunity to develop saponins, a by product of quinoa processing, as a separate end product. Purity, traceability, monitoring and tracking models are also being substantiated for future use. The success of this project will be a model for future new, high value crops and products in enhancing Canada's economic diversity and high quality foods leadership position.