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Session: Vitamins and Minerals (Poster Theater Flash Session 13)

(PTFS13-05-24) Quantifying the Quinoa Ionome: Mineral Content of 346 Quinoa Varieties

Monday, July 1, 2024
10:12 AM – 10:16 AM CT
Location:  W185A-C

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Dennis Cladis, PhD

    Assistant Professor
    Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
    Blacksburg, Virginia, United States

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

    • Co-Author(s)

  • KH

    Kathleen M. Hill Gallant, PhD, RD

    Associate Professor
    University of Minnesota
    St Paul, Minnesota, United States

  • KM

    Kevin Murphy

    Washington State University, United States

Objectives: Cereal and pseudocereal crops are nutrient-dense, dietary staples for many populations around the world. Quinoa is an emerging pseudocereal crop that is rich in essential minerals while also being more resilient to environmental stressors than other cereal crops like wheat, maize, and rice. Because of this, quinoa production has tripled since 2006, with researchers seeking to develop agronomically beneficial varieties. However, there has been little attention given to how these breeding efforts affect the nutritional quality of the quinoa. Thus, our objective is to characterize the ionome of an established quinoa germplasm.

Methods: A total of 346 quinoa varieties from the Washington State University collection were analyzed for mineral content. Quinoa samples were ground into a powder before being dry ashed in a muffle furnace, resolubilized in nitric acid, and analyzed via microwave plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (MP-AES) for 18 minerals, including Ag, Al, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, P, Pb, Sr, and Zn.

Results: Mineral concentration ranged widely across the varieties analyzed: Al (6.5-152 ppm), B (6.0-15.5 ppm), Ba (1.4-20.2 ppm), Ca (368-1259 ppm), Cu (2.5-5.9 ppm), Fe (39.7-163 ppm), K (6189-13002 ppm), Mg (1708-3062 ppm), Mn (11.7-23.9 ppm), P (2367-6787 ppm), Sr (3.3-17.5 ppm), and Zn (22.7-82.1 ppm). On average, a 200 g serving of quinoa would meet the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for B, Mg, Mn, and P, while a 400 g serving would meet the RDA for Cu, Fe, K, and Zn. Heavy metals, including Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, and Pb, were below the limit of detection.

Conclusions: Quinoa is rich in essential minerals and low in heavy metals, though there is significant diversity in the mineral content of the varieties analyzed. Our results will be used in concert with agronomic data to identify varieties that have beneficial mineral and agronomic traits as future breeding targets to maximally benefit consumers and growers.

Funding Sources: None