Effect of exogenous γ-aminobutyric acid on physiological property, antioxidant activity, and cadmium uptake of quinoa seedlings under cadmium stress.

Increasing cadmium (Cd) pollution has negative effects on quinoa growth and production. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) confers plants with stress resistance to heavy metals; however, the mechanism remains unclear. We explored the effects of exogenous GABA on the physiological characteristics, antioxidant capacity, and Cd accumulation of quinoa seedlings under Cd stress using hydroponic experiments. Partial least-squares regression was used to identify key physical and chemical indices of seedlings affecting Cd accumulation. Compared with those of the CK group, exposure to 10 and 25 µmol·L-1 Cd significantly reduced the photosynthetic pigment contents, photosynthesis, and biomass accumulation of quinoa seedlings; resulted in shorter and thicker roots; decreased the length of the lateral roots; decreased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxide (POD); and increased H2O2 and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents. Exogenous GABA reduced the Cd content in the stem/leaves and roots of quinoa seedlings under Cd stress by 13.22-21.63% and 7.92-28.32%, decreased Cd accumulation by 5.37-6.71% and 1.91-4.09%, decreased the H2O2 content by 38.21-47.46% and 45.81-55.73%, and decreased the MDA content by 37.65-48.12% and 29.87-32.51%, respectively. GABA addition increased the SOD and POD activities in the roots by 2.78-5.61% and 13.81-18.33%, respectively, under Cd stress. Thus, exogenous GABA can reduce the content and accumulation of Cd in quinoa seedlings by improving the photosynthetic characteristics and antioxidant enzyme activity and reducing the degree of lipid peroxidation in the cell membrane to alleviate the toxic effect of Cd stress on seedling growth.

Unravelling the impact of environmental factors in shaping plant microbiomes.

This article emphasizes the significant role of environmental factors in shaping the plant microbiome, highlighting how bacterial and fungal communities influence plant responses to water stress, and how environmental factors shape fungal communities in crops. Furthermore, recent studies describe how different genotypes and levels of water stress affect the composition of bacterial communities associated with quinoa plants, as well as the relationship between environmental factors and the structure of fungal communities in apple fruit. These findings underscore the importance of understanding plant microbiome dynamics in developing effective crop protection strategies and improving agricultural sustainability with the objective of advance towards a microbiome-based strategy which allows us to improve crop tolerance to abiotic stresses.

Formulation of quinoa oil-alginate loaded nanoemulsion and its anticancer efficacy as a therapy for chemically induced breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Quinoa seeds (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) have gained interest due to their naturally occurring phytochemicals and antioxidants. They possess potent anticancer properties against human colorectal cancer. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fatty acids in quinoa oil were studied using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Rats were used to test the acute oral toxicity of the nanoemulsion loaded with sodium alginate. The DPPH radical scavenging method was employed to assess the nanoemulsion's ability to scavenge free radicals. It was examined the in vivo anticancer potential of quinoa oil nanoemulsion on rats with breast cancer induced by 7, 12-dimethylbenz (a) anthracene (DMBA). DMBA-breast cancer models received daily quinoa oil nanoemulsions for 30 days. The anticancer effect of the nanoemulsion was assessed by measuring ROS, protein carbonyl, gene expression of anti-oncogenes, and histopathological analysis. Supplying quinoa oil nanoemulsion significantly reduced the increase in serum ROS and PC levels induced in breast cancer tissue. The expression levels of antioncogenes in breast cancer tissue were decreased by the quinoa oil nanoemulsion. Nanoemulsions also improved the cellular morphology of breast tumors. CONCLUSION: The study results indicate that quinoa oil nanoemulsion has anticancer activity against breast cancer, effectively modulating oxidative stress markers, anti-oncogene expressions, and tissue architecture. It can be inferred from the results that quinoa oil nanoemulsion is a chemoprotective medication that may hinder breast cancer progression in rats.

Genome-wide association study, combined with bulk segregant analysis, identify plant receptors and defense related genes as candidate genes for downy mildew resistance in quinoa.

BACKGROUND: Downy mildew is the most relevant disease of quinoa and the most widespread. Though, little is known about the genetics of resistance to this disease. The objective of this study was to identify the genomic regions controlling downy mildew resistance in quinoa and candidate genes for this trait. With this aim we carried out a GWAS analysis in a collection formed by 211 quinoa accessions from different origins. This approach was combined with inheritance studies and Bulk Segregant Analysis (BSA) in a segregating population. RESULTS: GWAS analysis identified 26 genomic regions associated with the trait. Inheritance studies in a F2 population segregating for resistance revealed the existence of a major single dominant gene controlling downy mildew complete resistance in quinoa accession PI614911. Through BSA, this gene was found to be located in chromosome 4, in a region also identified by GWAS. Furthermore, several plant receptors and resistance genes were found to be located into the genomic regions identified by GWAS and are postulated as candidate genes for resistance. CONCLUSIONS: Until now, little was known about the genetic control of downy mildew resistance in quinoa. A previous inheritance study suggested that resistance to this disease was a quantitative polygenic trait and previous GWAS analyses were unable to identify accurate markers for this disease. In our study we demonstrate the existence of, at least, one major gene conferring resistance to this disease, identify the genomic regions involved in the trait and provide plausible candidate genes involved in defense. Therefore, this study significantly increases our knowledge about the genetics of downy mildew resistance and provides relevant information for breeding for this important trait.

North American pitseed goosefoot (Chenopodium berlandieri) is a genetic resource to improve Andean quinoa (C. quinoa).

Pitseed goosefoot (Chenopodium berlandieri) is a free-living North American member of an allotetraploid complex that includes the Andean pseudocereal quinoa (C. quinoa). Like quinoa, pitseed goosefoot was domesticated, possibly independently, in eastern North America (subsp. jonesianum) and Mesoamerica (subsp. nuttaliae). To test the utility of C. berlandieri as a resource for quinoa breeding, we produced the whole-genome DNA sequence of PI 433,231, a huauzontle from Puebla, México. The 1.295 Gb genome was assembled into 18 pseudomolecules and annotated using RNAseq data from multiple tissues. Alignment with the v.2.0 genome of Chilean-origin C. quinoa cv. 'QQ74' revealed several inversions and a 4A-6B reciprocal translocation. Despite these rearrangements, some quinoa x pitseed goosefoot crosses produce highly fertile hybrids with faithful recombination, as evidenced by a high-density SNP linkage map constructed from a Bolivian quinoa 'Real-1' × BYU 937 (Texas coastal pitseed goosefoot) F2 population. Recombination in that cross was comparable to a 'Real-1' × BYU 1101 (Argentine C. hircinum) F2 population. Furthermore, SNP-based phylogenetic and population structure analyses of 90 accessions supported the hypothesis of multiple independent domestications and descent from a common 4 × ancestor, with a likely North American Center of Origin.

Enrichment and Quantitation of Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV Inhibitory Peptides in Quinoa upon Systematic Malting.

Food-derived peptides with an inhibitory effect on dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) can be used as an additive treatment for type 2 diabetes. The inhibitory potential of food depends on technological protein hydrolysis and gastrointestinal digestion, as the peptides only act after intestinal resorption. The effect of malting as a hydrolytic step on the availability of these peptides in grains has yet to be investigated. In this study, quinoa was malted under systematic temperature, moisture, and time variations. In the resulting malts, the DPP-IV inhibition reached a maximum of 45.02 (±10.28) %, whereas the highest overall concentration of literature-known inhibitory peptides was 4.07 µmol/L, depending on the malting parameters. After in vitro gastrointestinal digest, the inhibition of most malts, as well as the overall concentration of inhibitory peptides, could be increased significantly. Additionally, the digested malts showed higher values in both the inhibition and the peptide concentration than the unmalted quinoa. Concerning the malting parameters, germination time had the highest impact on the inhibition and the peptide concentration after digest. An analysis of the protein sizes before and after malting gave first hints toward the origin of these peptides, or their precursors, in quinoa.

Biochar is colonized by select arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in agricultural soils.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonize biochar in soils, yet the processes governing their colonization and growth in biochar are not well characterized. Biochar amendment improves soil health by increasing soil carbon, decreasing bulk density, and improving soil water retention, all of which can increase yield and alleviate environmental stress on crops. Biochar is often applied with nutrient addition, impacting mycorrhizal communities. To understand how mycorrhizas explore soils containing biochar, we buried packets of non-activated biochar in root exclusion mesh bags in contrasting agricultural soils. In this greenhouse experiment, with quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) as the host plant, we tested impacts of mineral nutrient (as manure and fertilizer) and biochar addition on mycorrhizal colonization of biochar. Paraglomus appeared to dominate the biochar packets, and the community of AMF found in the biochar was a subset (12 of 18) of the virtual taxa detected in soil communities. We saw differences in AMF community composition between soils with different edaphic properties, and while nutrient addition shifted those communities, the shifts were inconsistent between soil types and did not significantly influence the observation that Paraglomus appeared to selectively colonize biochar. This observation may reflect differences in AMF traits, with Paraglomus previously identified only in soils (not in roots) pointing to predominately soil exploratory traits. Conversely, the absence of some AMF from the biochar implies either a reduced tendency to explore soils or an ability to avoid recalcitrant nutrient sources. Our results point to a selective colonization of biochar in agricultural soils.

Effect of magnetic field pretreatment on germination characteristics, phenolic biosynthesis, and antioxidant capacity of quinoa.

The development of quinoa-based functional foods with cost-effective methods has gained considerable attention. In this study, the effects of magnetic field pretreatment on the germination characteristics, phenolic synthesis, and antioxidant system of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) were investigated. The results showed that the parameters of magnetic field pretreatment had different effects on the germination properties of five quinoa varieties, in which Sanjiang-1 (SJ-1) was more sensitive to magnetic field pretreatment. The content of total phenolics and phenolic acids in 24-h germinated seeds increased by 20.48% and 26.54%, respectively, under the pretreatment of 10 mT magnetic fields for 10 min compared with the control. This was closely related to the activation of the phenylpropanoid pathway by increasing enzyme activities and gene expression. In addition, magnetic field improved 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-Azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS) free radicals scavenging capacities and increased peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities. This study suggests that magnetic field pretreatment enhanced gene expression of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL), chalcone synthase (CHS) and chalcone isomerase (CHI), increased antioxidant enzyme activity and phenolics content. Thereby lead to an increase in the antioxidative capacity of quinoa.

Molecular Basis of the Granular Characteristics of Small-Granule Starch: A Comparative Study.

Small-granule starches (SGSs) have technological advantages over starches of conventional sizes for many applications. The study compared the granular characteristics of three SGSs (from amaranth, quinoa, and taro) with those of maize and potato starches and revealed their molecular basis. The results indicated that the supramolecular architecture of starch granules was not necessarily correlated with granule size. Acid hydrolysis of amaranth and quinoa starches was fast due to not only their small granule sizes but also the defects in the supramolecular structure, to which short external and internal chain lengths of amaranth and quinoa amylopectins contributed. By comparison, the granular architecture of taro starch granules was more stable partly due to the longer external chain length of taro amylopectin. Comparison of the molecular composition of branched subunits (released by using α-amylase of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens) in amylopectins and that in lintnerized starches suggested a significant heterogeneous degradation of amaranth and quinoa starches at supramolecular levels.

Elucidation of the beneficial role of co-fermented whole grain quinoa and black barley with Lactobacillus on rats fed a western-style diet via a multi-omics approach.

Long-term consumption of Western-style diet (WSD) can lead to metabolic disorders and dysbiosis of gut microbiota, presenting a critical risk factor for various chronic conditions such as fatty liver disease. In the present study, we investigated the beneficial role of co-fermented whole grain quinoa and black barley with Lactobacillus kisonensis on rats fed a WSD. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, aged six weeks and weighing 180 ± 10 g, were randomly assigned to one of three groups: the normal control group (NC, n = 7), the WSD group (HF, n = 7), and the WSD supplemented with a co-fermented whole grain quinoa with black barley (FQB) intervention group (HFF, n = 7). The findings indicated that FQB was effective in suppressing body weight gain, mitigating hepatic steatosis, reducing perirenal fat accumulation, and ameliorating pathological damage in the livers and testicular tissues of rats. Additionally, FQB intervention led to decreased levels of serum uric acid (UA), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). These advantageous effects can be ascribed to the regulation of FQB on gut microbiota dysbiosis, which includes the restoration of intestinal flora diversity, reduction of the F/B ratio, and promotion of probiotics abundance, such as Akkermansia and [Ruminococcus] at the genus level. The study employed the UPLC-Q-TOF-MSE technique to analyze metabolites in fecal and hepatic samples. The findings revealed that FQB intervention led to a regression in the levels of specific metabolites in feces, including oxoadipic acid and 20a, 22b-dihydroxycholesterol, as well as in the liver, such as pyridoxamine, xanthine and xanthosine. The transcriptome sequencing of liver tissues revealed that FQB intervention modulated the mRNA expression of specific genes, including Cxcl12, Cidea, and Gck, known for their roles in anti-inflammatory and anti-insulin resistance mechanisms in the context of WSD. Our findings indicate that co-fermented whole-grain quinoa with black barley has the potential to alleviate metabolic disorders and chronic inflammation resulting from the consumption of WSD.

Potential structure-function relationships of pectic polysaccharides from quinoa microgreens: Impact of various esterification degrees.

Pectic polysaccharides are one of the most vital functional ingredients in quinoa microgreens, which exhibit numerous health-promoting benefits. Nevertheless, the detailed information about the structure-function relationships of pectic polysaccharides from quinoa microgreens (QMP) remains unknown, thereby largely restricting their applications as functional foods or fortified ingredients. Therefore, to unveil the possible structure-function relationships of QMP, the mild alkali de-esterification was utilized to modify QMP, and then the correlations of esterification degrees of native and modified QMPs to their biological functions were systematically investigated. The results showed that the modified QMPs with different esterification degrees were successfully prepared by the mild alkali treatment, and the primary chemical structure (e.g., compositional monosaccharides and glycosidic linkages) of the native QMP was overall stable after the de-esterified modification. Furthermore, the results revealed that the antioxidant capacity, antiglycation effect, prebiotic potential, and immunostimulatory activity of the native QMP were negatively correlated to its esterification degree. In addition, both native and modified QMPs exerted immunostimulatory effects through activating the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. These results are conducive to unveiling the precise structure-function relationships of QMP, and can also promote its applications as functional foods or fortified ingredients.

Encapsulation of chrysin and rutin using self-assembled nanoparticles of debranched quinoa, maize, and waxy maize starches.

Chrysin and rutin are natural polyphenols with multifaceted biological activities but their applications face challenges in bioavailability. Encapsulation using starch nanoparticles (SNPs) presents a promising approach to overcome the limitations. In this study, chrysin and rutin were encapsulated into self-assembled SNPs derived from quinoa (Q), maize (M), and waxy maize (WM) starches using enzyme-hydrolysis. Encapsulation efficiencies ranged from 74.3 % to 79.1 %, with QSNPs showing superior performance. Simulated in vitro digestion revealed sustained release and higher antioxidant activity in QSNPs compared to MSNPs and WMSNPs. Variations in encapsulation properties among SNPs from different sources were attributed to the differences in the structural properties of the starches. The encapsulated SNPs exhibited excellent stability, retaining over 90 % of chrysin and 85 % of rutin after 15 days of storage. These findings underscore the potential of SNP encapsulation to enhance the functionalities of chrysin and rutin, facilitating the development of fortified functional foods with enhanced bioavailability and health benefits.

Metabolomic insights into the profile, bioaccessibility, and transepithelial transport of polyphenols from germinated quinoa during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion/Caco-2 cell transport, and their prebiotic effects during colonic fermentation.

The health-promoting activities of polyphenols and their metabolites originating from germinated quinoa (GQ) are closely related to their digestive behavior, absorption, and colonic fermentation; however, limited knowledge regarding these properties hinder further development. The aim of this study was to provide metabolomic insights into the profile, bioaccessibility, and transepithelial transport of polyphenols from germinated quinoa during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and Caco-2 cell transport, whilst also investigating the changes in the major polyphenol metabolites and the effects of prebiotics during colonic fermentation. It was found that germination treatment increased the polyphenol content of quinoa by 21.91%. Compared with RQ group, 23 phenolic differential metabolites were upregulated and 47 phenolic differential metabolites were downregulated in GQ group. Compared with RQ group after simulated digestion, 7 kinds of phenolic differential metabolites were upregulated and 17 kinds of phenolic differential metabolites were downregulated in GQ group. Compared with RQ group after cell transport, 7 kinds of phenolic differential metabolites were upregulated and 9 kinds of phenolic differential metabolites were downregulated in GQ group. In addition, GQ improved the bioaccessibilities and transport rates of various polyphenol metabolites. During colonic fermentation, GQ group can also increase the content of SCFAs, reduce pH value, and adjust gut microbial populations by increasing the abundance of Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobiota, and Spirochaeota at the phylum level, as well as Bifidobacterium, Megamonas, Bifidobacterium, Brevundimonas, and Bacteroides at the genus level. Furthermore, the GQ have significantly inhibited the activity of α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Based on these results, it was possible to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of polyphenol metabolism in GQ and highlight its beneficial effects on the gut microbiota.

Formation mechanism of quinoa protein hydrolysate-EGCG complexes at different pH conditions and its effect on the protein hydrolysate-lipid co-oxidation in emulsions.

This study aimed to investigate the interaction, structure, antioxidant, and emulsification properties of quinoa protein hydrolysate (QPH) complexes formed with (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) at pH 3.0 and 7.0. Additionally, the effect of pH conditions and EGCG complexation on protein hydrolysate-lipid co-oxidation in QPH emulsions was explored. The results indicated that QPH primarily interacted with EGCG through hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds. This interaction led to alterations in the secondary structure of QPH, as well as a decrease in surface hydrophobicity and free SH content. Notably, the binding affinity between QPH and EGCG was observed to be higher at pH 7.0 compared to pH 3.0. Consequently, QPH-EGCG complexes exhibited more significant enhancement in antioxidant and emulsification properties at pH 7.0 than pH 3.0. The pH level also influenced the droplet size, ζ-potential, and interfacial composition of emulsions formed by QPH and QPH-EGCG complexes. Compared to QPH stabilized emulsions, QPH-EGCG stabilized emulsions were more capable of mitigating destabilization during storage and displayed fewer lipid oxidation products, carbonyl generation, and sulfhydryl groups and fluorescence loss, which implied better oxidative stability of the emulsions. Furthermore, the QPH-EGCG complexes formed at pH 7.0 exhibited better inhibition of protein hydrolysate-lipid co-oxidation. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights into the potential application of QPH and its complexes with EGCG in food processing systems.

Development of Attenuated Viruses for Effective Protection against Pepper Veinal Mottle Virus in Tomato Crops.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is the most important vegetable and fruit crop in the family Solanaceae worldwide. Numerous pests and pathogens, especially viruses, severely affect tomato production, causing immeasurable market losses. In Taiwan, the cultivation of tomato crops is mainly threatened by insect-borne viruses, among which pepper veinal mottle virus (PVMV) is one of the most prevalent. PVMV is a member of the genus Potyvirus of the family Potyviridae and is non-persistently transmitted by aphids. Its infection significantly reduces tomato fruit yield and quality. So far, no PVMV-resistant tomato lines are available. In this study, we performed nitrite-induced mutagenesis of the PVMV tomato isolate Tn to generate attenuated PVMV mutants. PVMV Tn causes necrotic lesions in Chenopodium quinoa leaves and severe mosaic and wilting in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. After nitrite treatment, three attenuated PVMV mutants, m4-8, m10-1, and m10-11, were selected while inducing milder responses to C. quinoa and N. benthamiana with lower accumulation in tomato plants. In greenhouse tests, the three mutants showed different degrees of cross-protection against wild-type PVMV Tn. m4-8 showed the highest protective efficacy against PVMV Tn in N. benthamiana and tomato plants, 100% and 97.9%, respectively. A whole-genome sequence comparison of PVMV Tn and m4-8 revealed that 20 nucleotide substitutions occurred in the m4-8 genome, resulting in 18 amino acid changes. Our results suggest that m4-8 has excellent potential to protect tomato crops from PVMV. The application of m4-8 in protecting other Solanaceae crops, such as peppers, will be studied in the future.

Metabolomics Characterization of Phenolic Compounds in Colored Quinoa and Their Relationship with In Vitro Antioxidant and Hypoglycemic Activities.

Chenopodium quinoa Willd. is rich in phenolic compounds and exhibits diverse biological activities. Few studies have focused on the effect of colored quinoa's phenolic profile on potential biological activity. This study used a UPLC-MS/MS-based metabolomic approach to examine the quinoa phenolics and their association with in vitro antioxidant and hypoglycemic properties. In total, 430 polyphenols, mainly phenolic acids, flavonoids, and flavonols, were identified. Additionally, 121, 116, and 148 differential polyphenols were found between the white and black, white and red, and black and red comparison groups, respectively; 67 polyphenols were screened as shared key differential metabolites. Phenylalanine, tyrosine, and the biosynthesis of plant secondary metabolites were the main differently regulated pathways. Black quinoa had better total phenolic contents (643.68 mg/100 g DW) and antioxidant capacity, while white quinoa had better total flavonoid contents (90.95 mg/100 g DW) and in vitro α-amylase (IC50 value of 3.97 mg/mL) and α-glucosidase (IC50 value of 1.08 mg/mL) inhibition activities. Thirty-six polyphenols, including epicatechin and linarin, etc., were highly correlated with in vitro antioxidant activity, while six polyphenols, including tiliroside and chrysoeriol, etc., were highly correlated with in vitro hypoglycemic activity. This study may provide important information for colored quinoa resources to develop their healthy food applications.

Physicochemical Properties and Biological Activities of Quinoa Polysaccharides.

Quinoa, known as the "golden grain" for its high nutritional value, has polysaccharides as one of its sources of important nutrients. However, the biological functions of quinoa polysaccharides remain understudied. In this study, two crude polysaccharide extracts of quinoa (Q-40 and Q-60) were obtained through sequential precipitation with 40% and 60% ethanol, with purities of 58.29% (HPLC) and 62.15% (HPLC) and a protein content of 8.27% and 9.60%, respectively. Monosaccharide analysis revealed that Q-40 contained glucose (Glc), galacturonic acid (GalA), and arabinose (Ara) in a molar ratio of 0.967:0.027:0.006. Q-60 was composed of xylose (xyl), arabinose (Ara), galactose, and galacturonic acid (GalA) with a molar ratio of 0.889:0.036:0.034:0.020. The average molecular weight of Q-40 ranged from 47,484 to 626,488 Da, while Q-60 showed a range of 10,025 to 47,990 Da. Rheological experiments showed that Q-40 exhibited higher viscosity, while Q-60 demonstrated more elastic properties. Remarkably, Q-60 showed potent antioxidant abilities, with scavenging rates of 98.49% for DPPH and 57.5% for ABTS. Antibacterial experiments using the microdilution method revealed that Q-40 inhibited the growth of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Escherichia coli (E. coli), while Q-60 specifically inhibited MRSA. At lower concentrations, both polysaccharides inhibited MDA (MD Anderson Cancer Center) cell proliferation, but at higher concentrations, they promoted proliferation. Similar proliferation-promoting effects were observed in HepG2 cells. The research provides important information in the application of quinoa in the food and functional food industries.

Mining genomic regions associated with agronomic and biochemical traits in quinoa through GWAS.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), an Andean crop, is a facultative halophyte food crop recognized globally for its high nutritional value and plasticity to adapt to harsh conditions. We conducted a genome-wide association study on a diverse set of quinoa germplasm accessions. These accessions were evaluated for the following agronomic and biochemical traits: days to 50% flowering (DTF), plant height (PH), panicle length (PL), stem diameter (SD), seed yield (SY), grain diameter (GD), and thousand-grain weight (TGW). These accessions underwent genotyping-by-sequencing using the DNBSeq-G400R platform. Among all evaluated traits, TGW represented maximum broad-sense heritability. Our study revealed average SNP density of ≈ 3.11 SNPs/10 kb for the whole genome, with the lowest and highest on chromosomes Cq1B and Cq9A, respectively. Principal component analysis clustered the quinoa population in three main clusters, one clearly representing lowland Chilean accessions, whereas the other two groups corresponded to germplasm from the highlands of Peru and Bolivia. In our germplasm set, we estimated linkage disequilibrium decay to be ≈ 118.5 kb. Marker-trait analyses revealed major and consistent effect associations for DTF on chromosomes 3A, 4B, 5B, 6A, 7A, 7B and 8B, with phenotypic variance explained (PVE) as high as 19.15%. Nine associations across eight chromosomes were also found for saponin content with 20% PVE by qSPN5A.1. More QTLs were identified for PL and TGW on multiple chromosomal locations. We identified putative candidate genes in the genomic regions associated with DTF and saponin content. The consistent and major-effect genomic associations can be used in fast-tracking quinoa breeding for wider adaptation across marginal environments.

Physicochemical and functional properties of short-chain fatty acid starch modified with different acyl groups and levels of modification.

Rice and quinoa starches are modified with short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) with different SCFA acyl chain lengths and levels of modification. This work is aimed to investigate the impact of modifying rice and quinoa starches with short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) on various physicochemical properties, including particle size, protein and amylose content, thermal behavior, pasting characteristics, and in vitro digestibility. Both native and SCFA-starches showed comparable particle sizes, with rice starches ranging from 1.58 to 2.22 µm and quinoa starches from 5.18 to 5.72 µm. SCFA modification led to lower protein content in both rice (0.218-0.255 %) and quinoa starches (0.537-0.619 %) compared to their native counterparts. Esterification led to the reduction of gelatinization and pasting temperatures as well as the hardness of the paste of SCFA-starches were reduced while paste clarity increased. The highest level of modification in SCFA-starch was associated with the highest amount of resistant starch fraction. Principal component analysis revealed that modification levels exerted a greater influence on starch properties than the types of SCFA used (acetyl, propionyl, and butyryl). These findings is importance in considering the degree of substitution or level of modification when tailoring starch properties through SCFA modification, with implications for various applications in food applications.

The beneficial effects of quinoa seed extract supplementation on ram sperm quality following cryopreservation.

Although cryopreservation is a reliable method used in assisted reproduction to preserve genetic materials, it can stimulate the occurrence of oxidative stress, which affects sperm structure and function. This research was conducted to explore the effects of quinoa seed extracts (QSE) on ram sperm quality, oxidative biomarkers, and the gene expression of frozen-thawed ram sperm. Semen samples were diluted in extenders supplemented with 0 (QSE0), 250 (QSE1), 500 (QSE2), 750 (QSE3), and 1000 (QSE4) µg of QSE /mL, and then frozen according to the typical procedure. The findings indicate that the QSE3 and QSE4 groups provided the optimal results in terms of sperm viability and progressive motility. Sperm kinematics were considerably enhanced in the QSE3 group compared to the other groups (P<0.01). QSE (500-1000 µg/mL) significantly decreased the apoptosis-like changes (higher viable and lower apoptotic sperm) in ram sperm (P<0.001). The percentage of live sperm with intact acrosomes was significantly increased, while the percentage of detached and intact acrosomes in live and dead sperm were significantly decreased respectively by the QSE addition (P<0.001). All QSE groups had higher TAC and lower MDA and H2O2 levels than the control group (P<0.001). The expressions of SOD1, CAT, GABPB1, and GPX1 genes in sperm samples were significantly increased, while the CASP3 gene was significantly decreased in all QSE-supplemented samples. Our data suggest that QSE has beneficial effects on sperm quality of cryopreserved ram semen, which are achieved by promoting sperm antioxidant-related genes and reducing apoptosis-related gene.