A Systemic Review and Meta-analysis of a Traditional Pseudocereal – Amaranthus cruentus

Raajvi Khurana, Ashmeet Kaur and Prerna Gupta

Abstract

Mankind has long been aware of the advantages of plants in preventing diseases. Recipes for functional foods, medicines, and nutritional supplements are made using preparations from these sources. Over generations, a sedentary lifestyle and irregular eating habits have brought a negative impact on an individual’s dietary choices and well-being. This led to the onset of diseases such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, stroke, celiac and asthma. Amongst these, the disease that has gained much attention is celiac. It is an autoimmune disease characterized by an adverse reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. People with gluten intolerance avoid foods that cause intolerance. Through the decades, the incidence of celiac disease (CD) has increased by approximately 7.5% per year worldwide, with a higher proportion of the affected population being female. This has led to the exploration of resources suitable for such a population to meet their nutritional requirements. Consequently, there is a growing tendency in research that focuses on the use of alternative grains that may be healthful to develop gluten-free products. Pseudocereals are increasingly being recognized for a gluten-free diet (GFD) due to their high nutritional content. In addition, they are also rich in vitamins and minerals. Similarly, amaranth is also a pseudocereal and currently generating more scientific and commercial interest due to its phytochemical profile containing essential minerals like iron, magnesium, phosphorus, bioactive compounds, protein, dietary fiber and antioxidants like vitamin E, valuable biological properties, and pharmaceutical properties. Its nutritional properties are equivalent to those of other ordinary grains considering the composition of crude protein, crude fat, carbohydrates (starch), and fibre. Therefore, this versatile grain can be integrated into daily dietary preferences to cater the issue of gluten-intolerance being a hindrance in obtaining required nutritional intake in day-to-day life of celiac patients.

Published on: November 15, 2023
doi: 10.17756/jfcn.2023-s1-071
Citation: Khurana R, Kaur A, Gupta P. 2023. A Systemic Review and Meta-analysis of a Traditional Pseudocereal – Amaranthus cruentus. J Food Chem Nanotechnol 9(S1): S562-S571.

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