Characterization of selected quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) lines from Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, using intrinsic chemical parameters of the grains

The so-called sea-level ecotypes of quinoa grow satisfactorily under the agro-ecological conditions of the central region of Buenos Aires Province (Argentina). A previous selection derived from a quinoa genetic improvement project allowed the identification of 14 lines with good agronomic behavior, considering grain yield, the weight of one thousand grains, harvest index, plant height, and growth habits. This study aimed to characterize these 14 quinoa lines according to the specific chemical parameters of the grains to select those with particular compositional features, projecting them as crops of potential agro-industrial interest for the region. The parameters evaluated in the grains were: moisture, lipids, protein, ash, and carbohydrates using standardized techniques; Na, K, Ca, Mg, P, Fe, and Zn by absorption spectrophotometric techniques; composition of tocopherols and phenolic acids by HPLC and contents of saponins by spectrophotometry. In addition, total phenolic compounds contents and in vitro antioxidant capacity were estimated by Folin-Ciocalteu and DPPH methods, respectively. A multivariate statistical analysis was applied to establish the differences between the grains from the 14 selected quinoa lines according to the evaluated parameters. The first component of the biplot graph separated the quinoa grains with the highest protein, ash, mineral, and saponin content (RU5-9, RU5-1, and NLG-3) from the other variables evaluated. The second component clearly showed a distinction between the quinoa grain samples rich in lipids and tocopherols (RU5-14 and RU5-4) and those with a higher content of phenolic compounds, which were positively correlated with the in vitro antioxidant activity (NLG-4 and RU5-2). These results demonstrated that the evaluated parameters could help select quinoa lines with specific composition characteristics to be cultivated in the Buenos Aires region and eventually used for breeding programs for this species. ; Los ecotipos de quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) del nivel del ...