Oil quality in sea-level quinoa as determined by cultivar-specific responses to temperature and radiation conditions

Abstract

There is renewed interest in quinoa as a potential source of vegetable oils; however, there is no knowledge about how environmental conditions affect its fatty acids composition, a critical indicator of its oil quality. The fatty acid concentrations of four cultivars adapted to temperate environments were compared at three sowing dates in order to evaluate the effect of environmental conditions during the seed‐filling period on the variation in oil quality. The interaction between cultivar and sowing date was the main source of variation explaining the changes in the lipid content and fatty acid concentrations in quinoa. Most of the variation in the concentration of unsaturated fatty acids was attributed to the temperature and solar radiation during the seed‐filling period; cultivar‐specific responses to photo‐thermal conditions were observed among the sea level quinoa cultivars evaluated. Lipid content and concentration of fatty acids in quinoa is affected by sowing date. This effect is exerted through changes in temperature and solar radiation conditions. Therefore, this managing practice can be used to achieve quinoa oil with different qualities.