BANFF, Alta. — Quinoa is surging ahead of barley as a healthy alternative offered in grocery stores.
It is gluten free, free of genetically modified organisms and contains 60 percent starch and 16 to 17 percent protein . The rest is fibre.
“There has been more research done on barley than quinoa but quinoa is on the hot page,” said food researcher Thavaratnam Vasanthan of the University of Alberta.
Barley’s benefits are well known but when 80 percent is fed to animals, people don’t think of it as something to use in their food.
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He said that image can be turned around and pointed to oats, which has gained popularity as a human food even though it was once considered horse feed.
“Barley needs a champion with deep pockets,” he said at the Alberta Barley Commission annual meeting in Banff Dec. 7. He found a technique to extract beta glucan and proved it had health benefits.
Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is considered a healthy product but it is not a true cereal. About nine million tonnes are grown per year, mostly in Peru and Bolivia with small production in Canada and the United States.
The growth rate has surprised many and last year it racked up $168 million in sales in Canada.
Demand for healthy grains like quinoa will likely continue to increase, especially as the population gets older and fatter, said Vasanthan.
It has a texture like couscous and is easy to prepare.
“It is a one stop shopping for nutrition.”
The starch is low glycemic and high in complete protein and contains all essential amino acids. It is rich in iron, antioxidants and essential fatty acids like omega 3 and 6.
It contains antioxidants that can protect against cancer, allergies, inflammatory disease and may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Barley helps in the management of cholesterol and contains vitamin E, an antioxidant.
Barley is more difficult to prepare than quinoa and becomes sticky if overcooked, which makes it more difficult to use as an ingredient.
“It is difficult to formulate foods. It sticks all over the machinery and it is difficult to cut and mould,” he said.
That can be overcome but quinoa is easier to handle, fluffy and has a nutty flavour, which food formulators prefer, he said.
In 1993, the U.S. Food and Agriculture Organization gave barley international recognition as a healthy and promising food but the United Nations declared 2013 as the international year of quinoa.
“A lack of marketing on the barley side is affecting why barley is not moving into the food side,” he said.
