CHARACTERIZATION OF QUINOA (CHENOPODIUM-QUINOA) LIPIDS

Lipids isolated from quinoa seed and seed fractions were characterized for lipid classes and their fatty acid composition. Quinoa seed lipids contained the largest amount of neutral lipids among all the seed fractions analyzed. A very high content of free fatty acids was detected in whole quinoa seed and hulls, accounting for 18.9 and 15.4% of total lipids, respectively. Triglycerides were the major fraction present and accounted for over 50% of the neutral lipids. Diglycerides were present in whole seed and contributed 20% of the neutral lipid fraction. Of the phospholipids examined, lysophosphatidyl ethanolamine, was the most abundant and made up 45% of the total polar lipids. Phosphatidyl choline was the second largest phospholipid component and contributed 12% of whole seed phospholipids. Considerable variation in phospholipids was evident between the different fractions. The overall fatty acid composition of whole quinoa seeds, however, was similar to that reported for other cereal grains, with linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids as the major acids present.