Amaranth grain

Amaranth Grain

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Amaranth grain

Amaranth
Amaranth

Amaranthus, collectively known as amaranth or pigweed, is a cosmopolitan genus of herbs. Approximately 60 species are presently recognized, with inflorescences and foliage ranging from purple and red to gold....
has been cultivated as a grain for 8,000 years

6th millennium BC

During the 6th millennium BC, agriculture spreads from the Balkans to Italy and Eastern Europe and from Mesopotamia to Egypt. World population is essentially stable at ca....
. The yield of grain amaranth is comparable to rice

Rice

Rice is a staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in tropical Latin America, and East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, making it the second-most consumed cereal grain, after maize....
or maize

Maize

Maize , known as corn in some countries, is a cereal domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents....
. It was a staple food

Staple food

A staple food is a food that can be stored for use throughout the year and forms the basis of a traditional diet. Staple foods vary from place to place, but are typically inexpensive starchy foods of vegetable origin that are high in food energy and carbohydrate....
of the Aztec

Aztec

Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl and who achieved political and military dominance over large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the Late post-Classic period in Mesoamerican chronology....
s, and was used as an integral part of Aztec

Aztec

Cultivation

In agriculture, cultivation is the process of geting fater plants on arable land. It is usually associated with large-scale agriculture, as opposed to small-scale gardening....
of amaranth was banned by the conquistadores upon their conquest of the Aztec nation. Because the plant has continued to grow as a weed

WEED

WEED is a radio station broadcasting a Gospel format. Licensed to Rocky Mount, North Carolina, USA, it serves the area. The station is currently owned by Northstar Broadcasting Corporation....
since that time, its genetic

Genetics

Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and Genetic variation in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding....
base has been largely maintained.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Amaranth grain'

Start a new discussion about 'Amaranth grain'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

6th millennium BC

Rice

Maize

Maize , known as corn in some countries, is a cereal domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents....
. It was a staple food

Staple food

Aztec

Cultivation

WEED

Genetics

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
in the 1970s. By the end of the 1970s, a few thousand acres were being cultivated. Much of the grain currently grown is sold in health food

Health food

Health food is a term that has been used in the United States since the 1920s and refers to specific foods claimed to be especially beneficial to health....
shops.

Grain amaranth is also grown as a food crop in limited amounts in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
, where it is used to make a candy

Candy

Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added....
called alegría (Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
for happiness) at festival

Festival

A festival is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on some unique aspect of that community.Among many religions, a feast or festival is a set of celebrations in honour of God or Polytheism....
times. The grains are popped, and mixed with honey.

Amaranth grain can also be used to extract amaranth oil

Amaranth oil

Amaranth oil is extracted from the seeds of two species of the genus Amaranthus - Amaranthus cruentus and Amaranthus hypochondriacus - that are called, collectively, grain amaranth....
- a particularly valued pressed seed oil

Vegetable fats and oils

Vegetable fats and oils are lipid materials derived from plants. Physically, oils are liquid at room temperature, and fats are solid. Chemically, both fats and oils are composed of triglycerides, as contrasted with waxes which lack glycerin in their structure....
with many commercial uses.

Nutritional analysis

As the following table shows, grain amaranth is particularly nutritious.

| The proximate composition of grain and raw leaves of amaranth (100g portions) |- ! Component !! Amount |- | Moisture

Moisture

Moisture generally refers to the presence of water, often in trace amounts.The moisture content is often an important aspect of various Food including cheese and many dried goods such as tea where excess moisture can promote Bacteria, Bacterial decay, Mold, or Rot over time....
|| 9.0 g |- | Protein

Protein

Proteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid Residue ....
|| 15.0 g |- | Fat

Fat

Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. Chemistry, fats are generally ester of glycerol and fatty acids....
|| 7.0 g |- | Total carbohydrates || 63.0 g |- | Fiber

Fiber

Fiber or fibre is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of yarn. They are very important in the biology of both plants and animals, for holding tissue s together....
|| 2.9 g |- | Calories || 391 |- | Phosphorus

Phosphorus

Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. The name comes from the and . A Valency nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus is commonly found in inorganic phosphate minerals....
|| 477 mg |- | Riboflavin

Riboflavin

Riboflavin , also known as vitamin B2, is an easily absorbed micronutrient with a key role in maintaining health in humans and animals....
|| 0.32 mg |- | Niacin

Niacin

Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, is a water-soluble vitamin which prevents the Nutrition disorder pellagra. It is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5NO2....
|| 1.0 mg |- | Ascorbic acid

Ascorbic acid

Ascorbic acid is a sugar acid with antioxidant properties. Its appearance is white to light-yellow crystals or powder. It is water-soluble. The L-enantiomer of ascorbic acid is commonly known as vitamin C....
(Vitamin C) || 3.0 mg |- | Thiamin (Vitamin B1) || 0.14 mg |- | Ash

Ash (analytical chemistry)

In analytical chemistry, ashing is the process of mineralization for preconcentration of trace substances prior to chemical analysis.< Ash is the name given to all non-aqueous residue that remains after a sample is burned, and consist mostly of metal oxides....
|| 2.6 g |- | Calcium

Calcium

Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft grey alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth most abundant element by mass in the earth's Crust ....
|| 490 mg |}

Notable nutritional attributes of amaranth grain include:-

The protein
Protein

Proteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid Residue ....
, which is of an unusually high quality, according to ECHO.
A ¼ cup of amaranth grain supplies 60% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance of iron
Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
.
Amaranth grain is particularly high in lysine
Lysine

Lysine is an a-amino acid with the chemical formula HO2CCH4NH2. This amino acid is an essential amino acid, which means that humans cannot synthesize it....
, an amino acid that most grains lack.
Amaranth grain is free of gluten
Gluten

Gluten is a composite of the proteins gliadin and glutenin. These exist, conjoined with starch, in the endosperms of some Triticeae glutens cereal, notably wheat, rye, and barley....
, which is important for people with gluten allergies.

Additional Agricultural Information

Amaranth from its start as a plant has literally a worldwide population currently where there are varieties for greens, varieties for grain, combinations and even ornamentals. The has seen a surge in this crop from developed varieties.

in its wild form in the is locally termed pigweed as it would always sprout where hogs were pasture fed. This weed grows to approximately 30 inches, but some like the which will produce up to a pound of seed per plant will grow in good conditions to 8 feet.

The virtue of amaranth is in light soils, it will literally produce food under harsh and lackluster nutrient conditions much like grain sorghum. It is a very efficient grain crop.