Nutritional Applications of Quinoa Seeds (Chenopodium quinoa W.) and their Effect on Diabetic Rats

ABSTRACT

The aim of this work was to evaluate the chemical composition; mineral and vitamin contents; total phenolic and flavonoidscontents; antioxidant activity of the quinoa seeds powder (QSP) and their effect on diabetic rats. The higher concentrationsof minerals were K (3441.95 mg/Kg) and Mg (1147.32 mg/Kg) and quinoa seeds contained a considerable amount ofriboflavin (B2), pyridoxine (B6), folic acid (B9), cobalamin (B12), alpha tocopherol (E) and beta carotene equal to 0.60,5.83, 6.80, 0.27, 2.010 and 0.127 mg/100g, respectively. The total phenolic and total flavonoids content of quinoa seedspowder were 2.63 mg GAE/g, and 0.53 mg CE/g, respectively. Antioxidant activity was measured as 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (DPPH) and 2,2´-azinobis (3-ethyl benzo thiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radicalcation (ABTS) were 0.29 and 4.38 mg TE/g, respectively. Sensory properties of both quinoa pudding and quinoa soupshowed insignificant differences. However, in biological experiment, the blood and the glucose levels after consumption ofquinoa at different concentrations were reduced from 236.7 mg/dl to 98.7mg/dl at 40% quinoa and to 120.3 mg/dl at 30%quinoa with an average fasting of normal level of 64.3 mg/dl. Furthermore, the thyroid hormones T3 and T4 were reducedsignificantly after feeding rats on quinoa seeds powder at different concentrations. Histopathological determination ofpancreas of diabetic rats revealed that interlobular inflammatory cells infiltration where pancreas of diabetic rats fed on 20,30 and 40% quinoa powder revealed no histopathological changes.