Composition of fourteen varieties of amaranth reintroduced in the andean zone of Jujuy

ACUÑA, ELINA; ANDRADE, ALBERTO; SAMMÁN, NORMA

San Pablo, Brasil

Congreso; 7th International Food Data Conference; 2007

Objective: Fourteen varieties of Amaranth seeds with different agronomics characteristics (precocity, tolerance to extreme drought, yield) were assessed, with the purpose to reintroduce them in the Andean zone of Jujuy. Materials and Methods: Crops were harvested disregarded furrows of each variety according to the system of free competition. The seeds were stored in paper bags until they were processed. Grains of  each variety were processed in order to obtain flour with a particle size of 0.4 mm. Proximal Composition was determined using the AOAC Methods. The fatty acid profile was evaluated by gas chromatography (UNE 55-037-73). Results: The following average values were obtained: moisture 10.68±0.42 %, protein 15.26±0.54 %, ash 2.36±0.30 %, total fat 7.71±0.66 %, total dietary fiber 7.71±1.33 %. The analysis of variance showed significant differences (p < 0.05) among species. A. mantegazzianus (MT2) showed the highest values of moisture (11.25±0.26 %), ash (2.93±0.06 %), total fat (8.71±0.15 %), and total dietary fiber (10.49±0.06 %), whereas A. caudatus (CT10) showed the greatest protein content (16.84±0.13 %). The greatest variability among species was observed for their fiber content and the lowest value (5.30±0.15 %) corresponded to  A. caudatus (CT2). The fatty acid profile was also significantly different among the species. SFA: the maximum value (26.20 %) corresponded to A. hipochondriacus (HI1) and the minimum (22.40 %) for A. caudatus (CT5). MUFA: A. caudatus (CT6) showed the maximum value (31.92 %) and A. mantegazzianus (MT2) showed the minimum value (25.75 %). PUFA: A. caudatus (CT3) y A. Caudatus (CT6) had the maximum (44.10 %) and the minimum (39.39 %) values respectively. The main type of fatty acid present in all the varieties was linoleic, ranking between 38.00 and 42.92 %. On the other hand, the linolenic acid content is in low, with values lying between 0,13 and 0,70 %.