Common names | Quinoa
Scientific name | Chenopodium quinoa
Used part | Seed
Known active compounds | vanillic acid, ferulic acid, 20-hydroxyecdysone 

Potential benefits in cosmetics | anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-wrinkle 

Product name | Quinoa-ANB

 

 

Plant Story

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is an annual plant native to the Andean region and cultivated to obtain its seed. It is a pseudocereal crop like kaniwa, amaranth, and buckwheat. Quinoa was an important food crop for the Incas and it was called ‘the mother grain’. The flat and oval-shaped seeds come in many different colors, with white, red, and black being the most commonly cultivated. Quinoa is rich in essential amino acids containing all 9 essential amino acids, which is rare for a plant.

 

Quinoa seeds have anti-oxidant properties that have been associated with their high content of phenolic compounds. Quinoa contains phenolic acids, including vanillic acid, ferulic acid, and their derivatives and flavonoids including quercetin, kaempferol, and their glycosides. Quinoa is also a rich source of phytoecdysteroids and they mostly consist of 20-hydroxyecdysone which has anti-oxidant properties. Numerous researches have reported anti-oxidant activities of quinoa seeds by scavenging free radicals and inhibiting intracellular ROS. Other studies have shown the inhibition of MMP-1 mRNA expression and MMP-9 enzyme activity in human dermal fibroblasts, and the inhibition of NO production, TNF-α, and interleukin-6 in LPS-induced macrophages, showing potential anti-wrinkle and anti-inflammatory properties of quinoa.