Journal of Agriculture and Food Research 2 (2020) 100052

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Journal of Agriculture and Food Research

journal homepage: www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-agriculture-and-food-research/

Pseudocereals as super foods of 21st century: Recent

technological interventions
Tanveer Bilal Pirzadah a, b, *, Bisma Malik a, b
a
University Centre for Research and Development (UCRD), Chandigarh University, India
b
University Institute of Biotechnology, Chandigarh University, India

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Cereals have been known to play a pivotal role to meet the demand of the human population since time im-
Biofortification memorial. Cereals like corn, wheat and rice constitute approximately about 80% food consumption and are
Pseudocereals biofortified to improve the vitamin and other essential micro-nutrients. On the other hand, pseudocereals are
Micronutrients
naturally enriched with these essential micronutrients, but have not been explored for large-scale production and
Metabolites
Biotechnology
consumption till date. In this context, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has identified many plants as
under-utilized, which can significantly contribute for improving nutrition and health, enhance food basket and
livelihoods, future food security and sustainable development. These underutilized crops offer an immense po-
tential in the functional food sector to combat hidden hunger crisis and offer the options of income generation.
Moreover, since underutilized crops are closely knit to cultural traditions and therefore are envisaged to have a
role in supporting social diversity. To explore these neglected or lost crops, there is an increasing interest in
research and development that needs heightened direction and focus. We need to develop a multidisciplinary
approach that involves many stake holders to review and accelerate the domestication of these neglected crops.
These reviews focus on nutritional profile of emerging pseudocereals and analyze the various constraints of their
integration into the global food system.

1. Introduction standards. Moreover, it would be a great challenge in near future to

combat food crisis as world population is projected to reach 10.9 billion
Globalization of agriculture and consequently its industrialization by 2050 [2,3]. To encounter this problem, an interdisciplinary approach
seems unrelenting, with adverse side effects felt throughout the globe. is needed, which not only enhance food basket but provide access to
These effects include and are not limited to biased technological devel- quality food by means of enrichment, biofortification and nutritional
opment of usage of only some energy high demanding plant species, supplements, to safeguard access to healthy food, an important pillar of
monoculture practices and in this way diminish genetic diversity in food security. The facts mentioned, with serious consequences on envi-
agriculture sector. As a result, world food security has become largely ronment and concern for the loss of crop varieties, provoke institutions,
dependent only on a handful of crops like; wheat, rice, and corn which government organizations and researchers around the world to seek
are the major cereals that support more than 50% of the global calorie research and disseminate knowledge on the production and use of
demand. While these grains are an essential part of various diets, how- neglected, unexplored and new plant species or so-called alternative
ever they are devoid of essential micronutrients. As a result, it is esti- crops. The narrow agricultural portfolio raises serious questions about
mated that micronutrient deficiency affects an estimated 2 billion people how major crops alone can contribute to food security and poverty
worldwide [1] raising health concerns over our high dependence on reduction. To address such problems, it is necessary to broaden the field
cereal crops. As agriculture sector is considered as backbone of nation of research and development by exploiting the neglected crop species.
and therefore utilizing a handful of crops have placed the global food Such crops must also have the potential to achieve high value markets
security at risk. Currently, in a world of 7 billion population the due to the characteristics of their products. These ancient grain-rich crops
agro-industry is facing immense confrontations to assure adequate food that are rich in micronutrients and/or phytonutrients have traditionally
supply, while at the same time maintain high productivity and quality played the role in many cultures as a staple food, but are currently

* Corresponding author. University Centre for Research and Development (UCRD), Chandigarh University, India.
E-mail addresses: pztanveer@gmail.com, tanveer.e9689@cumail.in (T.B. Pirzadah).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2020.100052
Received 12 May 2020; Received in revised form 16 June 2020; Accepted 17 June 2020
2666-1543/© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
nc-nd/4.0/).
T.B. Pirzadah, B. Malik Journal of Agriculture and Food Research 2 (2020) 100052

Fig. 1. Image of major staple cereal grains and seven selected underutilized (pseudo)cereal grains.

neglected as they are only percolated in small niches of the world food
Table 1
system.
Nutritional composition of buckwheat in comparison to three major cereals. Data
In this context, it is imperative to review the cultivation and utiliza-
from [27, 29].
tion of pseudocereal crops that possess high nutritional profile and are
Nutrients Buckwheat Rice Wheat Maize
considered as crops of the 21st century. These crops have been placed
under the category of important crops by UNESCO due to dwindling Proximate composition (per 100 g grain)
cultivation and exploitation in the wild besides, these pseudocereals has Energy (Kcal) 355 345 346 365
Crude protein (%) 12.0 6.8 11.8 9.4
gained a worldwide importance in the nutraceutical industry due to the Total carbohydrates (g) 72.9 78.2 71.2 74.3
rich nutritional profile compared to cereals. These are enriched with Total fiber (%) 17.8 4.5 12.5 7.5
various active principals such as; polyphenols, flavonoids, amino acids, Fat (g) 7.4 1.5 2.5 4.7
dietary fibre, lignans, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, unsaturated fatty Moisture (%) 11.0 13.7 12.8 10.4
Minerals and trace elements (mg/100 g grain)
acids and other essential components like fagopyritols [4,5]. The protein
Calcium 110 10 30 7
quality and quantity in pseudocereals is far better compared to cereals Iron 4.0 0.7 3.5 2.7
and this property qualifies their entry into the functional food industry. Magnesium 390 65 138 127
Pseudocereals are rich in amino acids such as; arginine, tryptophan, Phosphorus 330 160 298 210
lysine and histidine that proved essential for infant and child health thus, Manganese 3.4 0.5 2.3 1.9
Zinc 0.8 1.3 2.7 2.3
projected pseudocereals as an appropriate food supplement for child
Potassium 450 268 284 287
nutrition. Parameters such as; Net protein use (NPU) or protein efficiency Essential amino acids (% of total protein)
ratio (PER), digestibility or bioavailability of protein and available lysine Lysine 5.9 3.8 2.6 1.9
are some of the main indices of the nutritional quality of a protein. Thus, Methionine 3.7 3.0 3.5 3.2
Tryptophan 1.4 1.0 1.2 0.6
pseudocereal proteins are clearly higher than those of cereals and are
Leucine 6.7 8.2 6.3 13.0
comparable to casein. As pseudocereals constitutes 2S albumin, 11S and Vitamins (mg/100 g grain)
7S globulin and thus are similar to proteins of legumes. Moreover, Thiamine 3.3 0.06 0.5 0.4
pseudocereal proteins are useful for celiac disease patients because of low Riboflavin 10.6 0.06 0.2 0.2
prolamine content [6]. Niacin 18.0 1.9 5.5 3.6
Tocopherol 40.0 – – –
Pseudocereals are also rich in fatty acids compared to cereals espe-
Pantothenic acid 11.0 – – –
cially unsaturated fatty acids viz., linolenic acid. The mineral content in Choline 440 – – –
pseudocereals is about twice as high as in other cereals which find
immense potential to address hidden hunger problem [7]. As the agri-
cultural land is a limiting factor, one of the choices for their cultivation pseudocereal crops. This mini review focuses on nutritional profile of
remains marginal lands which are more or less infested with abiotic emerging pseudocereals and analyzes the current constraints of their
stresses because these crops have promising potential to withstand such integration into the global food system.
abiotic stresses like drought, temperature, salinity and heavy metal stress
(4, 23). As a result, underdeveloped and developing countries are finding 2. Thinking out of the cereal box
it immensely difficult to maintain food protection at the national level. In
addition, climate change could affect all dimensions of food security, as Cereals such as; rice, maize and wheat are monocots and belong to
well as the availability, accessibility, use and stability. Thus, the food family Poaceae, however amaranthus, quinoa, buckwheat and chia
production agro-systems must be adapted to climate change to ensure although resembles with cereals are dicots and are categorized as pseu-
food security and stability. However, pseudocereals are climate resilient docereals (Fig. 1) Nowadays, pseudocereals plays a pivotal role in the
crops and can be grown even on marginal lands that are not fit for cereals nutraceutical industry because of high nutritional profile, and various
thus, are considered as future crops to tackle mal-nutrition and future products like noodles, cakes, pancakes, tea, beverages, cookies and other
food crises. In this context, there is a need to adopt recent biotechno- confectionary products are commercialized today [4,5,7–9]. Despite the
logical interventions for the crop improvement and domestication of fact, that these neglected crops possess less or similar amount of starch

2
T.B. Pirzadah, B. Malik Journal of Agriculture and Food Research 2 (2020) 100052

Fig. 2. Comprehensive future prospective of buckwheat (A), the role of biotechnological interventions in improvising the current status of this underutilized species
(B), and application of tissue culture to provide a platform for further investigations (C) [28]).

content as compared to cereal crops but they have high caloric value measure their potential alongside staple crops. Besides agronomic
because of enriched protein and lipid content [5,10] (Table 1). It should drawbacks, there are certain limitations at the genetic level such as; self-
be noted that high energy content, although a hindrance in the food incompatibility in buckwheat [24] that limits its breeding and trait
systems of developed countries, is a boon to developing nations where improvement. Similarly, seed shattering and flower abortion is another
calorie deficits are a common problem. In addition, the high protein drawback in Tartary and common buckwheat that limits their yield
concentration and more balanced amino acid profile of these neglected production [4,22,25]. Moreover, mutagenesis and transformation have
grains are desirable. For example, amino acid profile of quinoa and not yet been developed or optimized, resulting in dependence on natural
amaranth crops are comparable to that of caseins and egg respectively variation for breeding purpose. Besides, crossing among genomics and
[11–13], besides these also possess bioactive peptides [14,15]. More- breeding is also limited in these crops. In general, neglected crops are
over, lack of gluten in pseudocereals makes them a suitable food for currently limited by the lack of joint breeding efforts to expand their use
celiac disease patients [16,17]. Amaranthus and quinoa grains possess in high input farming systems. Other factors involve the lack of tradi-
many health promoting benefits such as; reduce cholesterol level, car- tional knowledge that limits the cultivation and production of these
diovascular problems, constipation, diabetes and also helps in treating underutilized crops at the global level.
colon and breast cancer [7]. Ionomic analysis studies showed that
buckwheat, quinoa and amaranthus are rich in magnesium, calcium, 4. Technological interventions
zinc, iron, copper and phosphorus as compared to cereals (Table 1) [9].
Besides minerals, quinoa, amaranthus and buckwheat contains high The above drawbacks present a clear path that could offer many
content of vitamin A, B2, B6, E, C, niacin and folic acid compared to rice profitable opportunities - a promising path confirmed by the ongoing
[4,16]. Metabolomic profiling of pseudocereals revealed that they scientific research being made on these neglected crops. Even though the
constitute significant amount of flavonoids (kaempferol, rutin and yields of neglected crops are usually lower compared to newer crops, this
quercetin), polyphenolic compounds, and phytosterols thus finds great could be due to the fact that these crops are often grown on marginal land
application in the nutraceutical sector [4,5,9,13,18–23]. with less inputs (viz., buckwheat, quinoa, chia, amaranth, teff) or culti-
vated as cover crop (millets and buckwheat). Therefore, allocating suit-
3. Why pseudocereal cultivation declines? able arable land and growing seasons to neglected crops can unravel their
yield capacity compared to the crops that forms the foundation of global
Despite the potential benefits of underutilized crops, various factors research, development and consumption. Characterization and compre-
hamper their widespread cultivation and inclusion into modern food hensive evaluation of germplasm is a promising approach in various
system which include; agronomic factors (yield production, growth), breeding programmes to develop cultivars with high quality and desir-
social (low esteem; lack of awareness), technological (genetic factors, able traits. Biotechnological tools such as; next-generation sequencing
processing of seeds) as well as economic (marketing constraints) and technologies, whole-genome sequencing, genome editing (CRISPR/Cas9)
show striking similarities regardless of the neglected grain in question. provides a promising route for the improvement of underutilized crops
One of the major reasons for their decline involves poorly characterized [26] (Fig. 2). Although, plant breeding through classical approaches
agronomic analysis compared to newer crops thus the knowledge of the generates fruitful results but the protracted domestication process has
production yield and other quality parameters of these neglected crops exhausted the genetic diversity that further limits improvements in elite
mainly come from low-input systems which limits our capability to genetic material through conventional approaches. Recently, with the

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T.B. Pirzadah, B. Malik Journal of Agriculture and Food Research 2 (2020) 100052

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