Abstract
It is well documented that the quality of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) protein matches that of milk casein, and quinoa abundantly contains several micronutrients such as potassium, iron, calcium and riboflavin. In this study, we investigated the functional properties of quinoa (dehulled quinoa flour), using spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with hyperlipidemia induced by a high-lipid diet. Groups of 6 male rats, 11 weeks of age, were used. An experimental group was fed the quinoa diet whose components were adjusted to those of a high-lipid casein diet (control) for 6 weeks. Although significant decreases in food intake and growth rate were observed in the experimental group during the first two weeks, such differences were not recognized after two weeks. The increase in systolic blood pressure in the experimental group was significantly suppressed at 5 weeks of feeding, suggesting that quinoa had a hypotensive effect. In addition, the serum apolipoprotein (apo) A-I concentration was significantly high, and the apoB/apoA-I ratio significantly low, compared with those in the control group. The relative weight of the liver was significantly low in the experimental group, while no significant differences were observed in the lipid content and enzyme activities related to cholesterol metabolism.
