The Role of Amaranth, Quinoa, and Millets for the Development of Healthy, Sustainable Food Products—A <i>Concise</i> Review
The selection of sustainable crops adaptable to the rapidly changing environment, which also cater to the dietary needs of the growing population, is a primary challenge in meeting food security. Grains from ancient crops such as amaranth, quinoa, and millets are positioned to address this challenge...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-08-01
|
| Series: | Foods |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/16/2442 |
| _version_ | 1797445458233131008 |
|---|---|
| author | Gayathri Balakrishnan Renée Goodrich Schneider |
| author_facet | Gayathri Balakrishnan Renée Goodrich Schneider |
| author_sort | Gayathri Balakrishnan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The selection of sustainable crops adaptable to the rapidly changing environment, which also cater to the dietary needs of the growing population, is a primary challenge in meeting food security. Grains from ancient crops such as amaranth, quinoa, and millets are positioned to address this challenge and hence have gained dietary predominance among cereals and pseudocereals due to their nutritional value and energy efficiency. From a nutritional perspective, they are recognized for their complete protein, phenolic compounds and flavonoids, prebiotic fibers, and essential micronutrients, including minerals and vitamins. Bioactive peptides from their proteins have shown antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. The nutritional diversity of these grains makes them a preferred choice over traditional cereals for developing healthy, sustainable food products such as plant-based dairy, vegan meats, and gluten-free products. With growing consumer awareness about sustainability and health, the categories mentioned above are transitioning from ‘emerging’ to ‘mainstream’; however, there is still a significant need to include such healthy grains to fulfill the nutritional gap. This review article emphasizes the health benefits of amaranth, quinoa, and millet grains and discusses the recent research progress in understanding their application in new sustainable food categories. The challenges associated with their incorporation into novel foods and future research directions are also provided. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:26:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3bc67bf101bf4422ac2cbe65414ab877 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:26:06Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj.art-3bc67bf101bf4422ac2cbe65414ab8772023-11-30T21:23:21ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582022-08-011116244210.3390/foods11162442The Role of Amaranth, Quinoa, and Millets for the Development of Healthy, Sustainable Food Products—A <i>Concise</i> ReviewGayathri Balakrishnan0Renée Goodrich Schneider1Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USADepartment of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USAThe selection of sustainable crops adaptable to the rapidly changing environment, which also cater to the dietary needs of the growing population, is a primary challenge in meeting food security. Grains from ancient crops such as amaranth, quinoa, and millets are positioned to address this challenge and hence have gained dietary predominance among cereals and pseudocereals due to their nutritional value and energy efficiency. From a nutritional perspective, they are recognized for their complete protein, phenolic compounds and flavonoids, prebiotic fibers, and essential micronutrients, including minerals and vitamins. Bioactive peptides from their proteins have shown antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. The nutritional diversity of these grains makes them a preferred choice over traditional cereals for developing healthy, sustainable food products such as plant-based dairy, vegan meats, and gluten-free products. With growing consumer awareness about sustainability and health, the categories mentioned above are transitioning from ‘emerging’ to ‘mainstream’; however, there is still a significant need to include such healthy grains to fulfill the nutritional gap. This review article emphasizes the health benefits of amaranth, quinoa, and millet grains and discusses the recent research progress in understanding their application in new sustainable food categories. The challenges associated with their incorporation into novel foods and future research directions are also provided.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/16/2442cerealsancient grainsbioactive peptidesplant-based fooddairy-freesustainable |
| spellingShingle | Gayathri Balakrishnan Renée Goodrich Schneider The Role of Amaranth, Quinoa, and Millets for the Development of Healthy, Sustainable Food Products—A <i>Concise</i> Review Foods cereals ancient grains bioactive peptides plant-based food dairy-free sustainable |
| title | The Role of Amaranth, Quinoa, and Millets for the Development of Healthy, Sustainable Food Products—A <i>Concise</i> Review |
| title_full | The Role of Amaranth, Quinoa, and Millets for the Development of Healthy, Sustainable Food Products—A <i>Concise</i> Review |
| title_fullStr | The Role of Amaranth, Quinoa, and Millets for the Development of Healthy, Sustainable Food Products—A <i>Concise</i> Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Role of Amaranth, Quinoa, and Millets for the Development of Healthy, Sustainable Food Products—A <i>Concise</i> Review |
| title_short | The Role of Amaranth, Quinoa, and Millets for the Development of Healthy, Sustainable Food Products—A <i>Concise</i> Review |
| title_sort | role of amaranth quinoa and millets for the development of healthy sustainable food products a i concise i review |
| topic | cereals ancient grains bioactive peptides plant-based food dairy-free sustainable |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/16/2442 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gayathribalakrishnan theroleofamaranthquinoaandmilletsforthedevelopmentofhealthysustainablefoodproductsaiconciseireview AT reneegoodrichschneider theroleofamaranthquinoaandmilletsforthedevelopmentofhealthysustainablefoodproductsaiconciseireview AT gayathribalakrishnan roleofamaranthquinoaandmilletsforthedevelopmentofhealthysustainablefoodproductsaiconciseireview AT reneegoodrichschneider roleofamaranthquinoaandmilletsforthedevelopmentofhealthysustainablefoodproductsaiconciseireview |