Transcript Pseudocereals – important present-day crops Maria

Pseudocereals – important present-day crops
Maria TOADER, Gheorghe Valentin ROMAN
University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine
Bucharest - Faculty of Agriculture
At present, researchers’ attention is focused on the
exploitation of alternative crops or underutilized
species for multifarious uses.
This new plant species has a more important role in
the development and diversification of agricultural
products and food, and for the development of
Organic Agriculture which is a priority trend for
Romanian Agriculture in the context of European and
world agriculture.
Some pseudocereals are important today and
these plants belong to other botanical family, but
the utilization of their grains is as cereals:
amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus, Amaranthus
hypochondriacus), Amaranthaceae Family,
quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), Chenopodiaceae
Family,
buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) Polygonaceae Family.
Table 1
The situation of buckwheat in cultivating countries, 2004
(source: FAO STAT, 2004)
Countries
Area harv
(ha)
Seed
(t)
Production
(kg/ha)
Yield
(t)
China
1,000,000
105,000
800
800,000
Ukraine
700,000
30,000
450
311,000
Russia
641,200
55,000
818
525,350
USA
65,000
2,600
1,000
65,000
Poland
37,254
2,000
1,182
44,068
France
36,121
2,700
2,798
101,075
Table 2
The situation of quinoa in cultivating countries
(source: FAO STAT, 2004)
Countries
Area harv
(ha)
Seed
(t)
Production
(kg/ha)
Yield
(t)
Bolivia
40,600
609
591
24,000,000
Peru
28,000
560
1,000
28,000,000
Ecuador
750
8
500
375,000
In the countries of origin, pseudocereals are considered
basic foodstuff owing to their nutritive value and,
implicitly, their chemical value.
Their high content in proteins, aminoacids, and minerals
leads to an improved dietary composition of the products
obtained from processing, and of their food value which
is beneficial to human health. Either alone or as mixture
with other cereals, they can improve the technological or
use qualities.
These improvements mean benefits for the consumers
and also for the growers of these plants. Generally, they
have promising nutritional value (proteins, essential
aminoacids, lipids, minerals), economic and industrial
importance for a variety of purposes for humankind.
Starch, lipids and mineral elements contents of
pseudocereals and cereal grains
Source: Saunders and Becker (1984), Koziol (1992), Robinson (1980)
Pseudocereals
and cereals
Starch
(%s.u.)
Lipids
(%s.u.)
Mineral elements
Ca
P
Mg
K
Fe
mg % s.u.
Cu Zn
ppm
Amaranthus spp.
61 – 62
5.0 – 9.4
175
455
244
290
217
12
37
Chenopodium
quinoa
60 – 65
5.1 – 8.8
190
470
260
617
196
67
50
Triticum aestivum
62 – 72
1.8 – 2.5
50
420
160
520
50
7
14
Zea mays
60 – 76
3.0 – 9.0
70
360
140
390
21
-
-
Fagopyrum
esculentum
Table 4
Comparison of aminoacids in some cereals and pseudocereals
Source: Saunders and Becker (1984), Koziol (1992), Robinson (1980)
Content (g aminoacid/100 g protein)
Quino
a
Amarant
h
Buckwhea
t
Wheat
Maize
Rice
Histidine
3.2
1.6
3.3
2.0
2.6
2.1
Isoleucine
4.4
4.0
2.9
4.2
4.0
4.1
Leucine
6.6
6.2
6.3
6.8
12.5
8.2
Lysine
6.1
6.1
4.6
2.6
2.9
3.8
Methionine + Cystine
4.8
4.8
4.5
3.7
4.0
3.6
Phenylalanine +
Tyrosine
7.3
6.7
4.7
8.2
8.6
10.5
Threonine
3.8
3.9
4.9
2.8
3.8
3.8
Tryptophan
1.8
3.6
3.2
1.2
0.7
1.1
Valine
4.5
4.5
6.0
4.4
5.0
6.1
Amino acid
Essential (for humans):
To conclude, activities should be continued and expanded in the
following areas:
increased knowledge about the biology of these new plants on the
limiting nutritional factors of raw and processed grain;
knowledge of the needs of these plants, specific consumers, needs
of pedoclimatic conditions; agrotechnology, with significant activities
in genetics, with a focus on nutritive value, increased yield, and the
physical and chemical characteristics of the plant and grain;
problems of these plants: fertilization, pests, insects, weeds,
harvest;
development of agro-industry technologies to use the grains of
pseudocereals, particularly in the developing countries;
improved processing technologies to achieve attractive functional
properties and nutritive value;
use of the whole plant, and/or plant residues after grain harvest;
development a strategy of marketing for the commercialization of the
grains of these plants;
increased dissemination of the information on research.