Browsing by Subject "Quinoa"

Quinoa is a South American crop plant and the abrasive pearling of its seeds produces abrasion waste as a side stream. The aim of this study was to examine the chemical and physical differences between two different side streams and extract some valuable components from two abrasive side streams. The side streams were obtained with two different pearling methods and are referred to in this study as fine and coarse side stream. Four different extraction media; water, 0.4 M sodium chloride, 70% (v/v) ethanol and pH 9.0 sodium hydroxide, were used solubilize protein and carbohydrates from the side streams. Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was used to detect the protein composition of the side streams and ultrafiltration (UF) of aqueous extract together with UPLC of UF permeate were used to separate and detect mono- and disaccharides from the side streams. The coarse side stream had bigger particle size and higher density and it contained more protein and fat than the fine side stream which instead had higher ash and fibre content than the coarse side stream. Mainly albumins and globulins as well as some glutelins were detected from water, saline, and alkaline extracts of both side streams. The coarse side stream’s ultrafiltration permeate contained sucrose, fructose, and glucose - sucrose being most abundant and glucose least. The fine side stream’s permeate contained glucose and some fructose, but no sucrose. This study found quinoa pearling side streams to be a potential source for carbohydrates and protein, but the differences in the compositions of the side streams significantly affect their potential for wider use. Further studies are needed to investigate the protein yields and mono and disaccharide content of extracts with other extraction media. This study also raises further research topics, such as the effect of pre-treatment methods on the mono and disaccharide yields.