Fractionation of Seeds or Grains

Abstract

The authors and editors of this book belong to the CYTED Ia ValSe-Food Group (Iberoamerican Valuable Seeds, Ref. 119RT0567) and Chia-Link Network. This book gathers recent investigation and experience of Ia ValSe-Food Group on Latin-American valuable seeds and other crops, and provides comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge within several relevant fields of food science and agriculture.The main crops included in this book are Latin-American maize (Zea mays L.), amaranth (Amaranthus spp), quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd), kañiwa (Chenopodium pallidicaule Aellen), chia (Salvia hispanica L.), sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis), and legumes such as black turtle (Phaseolus vulgaris) and tarwi (Lupinus mutabilis).These seeds are still underutilized and their cultivation is reduced but, in recent years, worldwide demand for them has been rising to a remarkable level, resulting in an increasing trend in their production. They have therefore become widely recognized for their excellent nutritional and nutraceutical values by food scientists and producers. They contain high‐quality proteins, peptides with outstanding nutraceutical and medicinal properties, some polysaccharides with useful functional performance, and important quantities of minerals, vitamins, and several bioactive compounds; additionally, they are all gluten free, which makes them suitable for people suffering from various gluten intolerances or with a low preference for the consumption of this component. For these reasons, interest in Latin-American crops has increased substantially which has resulted in intensification of research projects in different geographical regions of the world.This book summarizes the large number of recent investigations performed on these seeds and provides knowledge within several of the relevant fields of food science and agronomy, and their impact on the prevention of various chronic diseases. Along with information on their origin and on their centers of distribution, botanical characteristics, production and utilization, structure, and chemical composition, a good level of attention is also directed toward their interesting components as indicated above. This publication also includes information about milling, fractioning, and oil extraction, and on the elaboration of various derived traditional and novel food products. The nutritional and health implications of these Latin-American crops are widely addressed.We hope that this book can contribute to raising the scientific importance of these cultivars and at the same time increasing their potential uses in high-quality human nutrition; the latter is fundamental to corresponding health and strengthening the immunological system of all consumers. In view of most of these food treasures? role as natural vaccines, their sustainable use, as classified by the United Nations, is a key element for the preservation of their genetic biodiversity, a basic tool for the present and future of food availability of world-wide populations.