Abstract

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) and lupin (Lupinus spp.) are ancient nutritious crops cultivated in the Andean region. In addition to basic nutrients, quinoa and lupin contain a variety of bioactive components with potentially beneficial effects on health. The profile and content of bioactive components such as polyphenols, phytosterols, and carotenoids in quinoa grains and lupin beans, and the effect of processing (drying, milling, debittering, germination, kilning) on their nutritional properties and bioactive components are described. Red and black quinoa showed the highest total phenolic and total flavonoid content and the best radical scavenging activities. Recent studies suggest that the pigments of these colored quinoa varieties are betacyanins. In addition to flavonoid glycosides and other more familiar secondary bioactive metabolites, quinoa contains phytoecdosteroids, a class of triterpenoids. In some studies, they have demonstrated insulin-sensitizing, fat-reducing, and fitness-enhancing activities in mammals without inducing androgenic or estrogenic effects. Although the high nutritional quality of lupin has been recognized for decades, not much is known about the content of phytochemicals in this legume. Many of these compounds are bioactive and may exert beneficial effects on health. They include polyphenols, isoflavones, carotenoids, phytosterols, tocopherols, polysaccharides, and peptides with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticarcinogenic, and anti-inflammatory activities. Processing of the crops to food products has an impact on the nutritional and sensory quality (e.g., germination may improve their nutritional quality even further).