Functional Ingredient and Their Some Variance in Amaranth and Quinoa

비름(Amaranth)과 명아주(Quinoa) 재배종의 기능성 물질과 변이

Amaranth(Amaranthus spp. L.) and quinoa (Chenpodium quinoa Willd.) are old crops from South, Central America and Central Asia and their grains have been identified as very promising food crops because of their exceptional nutritive value. Squalene is an important ingredient in skin cosmetics and computer disc lubricants as well as bioactive materials such as inhibition of fungal and mammalian sterol biosynthesis, antitumor, anticancer, and immunomodulation. Amaranth has a component called squalene (2,6,10,15,19,23-hexamethyl-2,6,10,14,22-tetraco-sahexaene) about 1/300 of the seed and $5\~8\%$ of its seed oil. Oil and squalene content in amaranth seed were different for the species investigated. Squalene content in seed oil also increased by $15.5\%$ due to puffing and from 6.96 to $8.01\%$ by refining and bleaching. Saponin concentrations in quinoa seed ranged 0.01 to $5.6\%$. Saponins are located in the outer layers of quinoa grain. These layers include the perianth, pericarp, a seed coat layer, and a cuticle like structure. Oleanane-type triterpenes saponins are of great interest because of their diverse pharmacological properties, for instance, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, contraceptive, and cholesterol-lowering effects. It is known that quinoa contains a number of structurally diverse saponins including the aglycones, oleanolic acid, hederagenin, and phytolaccagenic acid, which are new potential in gredient for pharmacological properties. It is likely that these saponin levels will be considerably affected by genetic, agronomic and environmental factors as well as by processing. With the current enhanced public interest in health and nutrition amaranth and quinoa will most likely remain in the immediate future within the realm of exotic health foods until such time as agricultural production meets the quantities and qualify required by industrial food manufacturers.