Saponins are an important group found in Chenopodium quinoa. They represent an obstacle for the use of quinoa as food for humans and animal feeds because of their bitter taste and toxic effects, which necessitates their elimination. Several saponins elimination methods have been examined to leach the saponins from the quinoa seeds; the wet technique remains the most used at both laboratory and industrial levels. Dry methods (heat treatment, extrusion, roasting, or mechanical abrasion) and genetic methods have also been evaluated. The extraction of quinoa saponins can be carried out by several methods; conventional technologies such as maceration and Soxhlet are the most utilized methods. However, recent research has focused on technologies to improve the efficiency of extraction. At least 40 saponin structures from quinoa have been isolated in the past 30 years, the derived molecular entities essentially being phytolaccagenic, oleanolic and serjanic acids, hederagenin, 3β,23,30 trihydroxy olean-12-en-28-oic acid, 3β-hydroxy-27-oxo-olean-12en-28-oic acid, and 3β,23,30 trihydroxy olean-12-en-28-oic acid. These metabolites exhibit a wide range of biological activities, such as molluscicidal, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, hemolytic, and cytotoxic properties.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a grain of great nutritional interest that gained international importance during the last decade. Before its consumption, this grain goes through many processes that can alter its nutritional value. Here we report the effect of processing (polishing and milling) and cooking (boiling and steaming) on the saponin content, mineral profile of 14 elements using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES), protein content, and total phenolic compound. The polishing caused an average drop in the saponin content from 1.7% to 0.46% but induced important losses in mineral content (K, Mg, Ca, Zn, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Ni), and phenolic compounds. However, the greatest nutritional degradation happened after milling due to the elimination of seed teguments and embryos, where over 50% of many minerals, 60% of protein content, and almost the totality of phenolic compounds, were lost. Cooking effect was less important than processing, but some significant losses were attested. Boiling caused a loss of up to 40% for some minerals like K, B, and Mo because of their hydrosolubility, and 88% of the polyphenols, while steaming allowed a better retention of those nutrients. Consuming polished quinoa instead of semolina and using steaming instead of boiling are trade-offs consumer needs to make to get optimal benefits from quinoa virtues.

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New technologies that enhance soil biodiversity and minimize the use of scarce resources while boosting crop production are highly sought to mitigate the increasing threats that climate change, population growth, and desertification pose on the food infrastructure. In particular, solutions based on plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) bring merits of self-replication, low environmental impact, tolerance to biotic and abiotic stressors, and reduction of inputs, such as fertilizers. However, challenges in facilitating PGPB delivery in the soil still persist and include survival to desiccation, precise delivery, programmable resuscitation, competition with the indigenous rhizosphere, and soil structure. These factors play a critical role in microbial root association and development of a beneficial plant microbiome. Engineering the seed microenvironment with protein and polysaccharides is one proposed way to deliver PGPB precisely and effectively in the seed spermosphere. In this review, we will cover new advancements in the precise and scalable delivery of microbial inoculants, also highlighting the latest development of multifunctional rhizobacteria solutions that have beneficial impact on not only legumes but also cereals. To conclude, we will discuss the role that legislators and policymakers play in promoting the adoption of new technologies that can enhance the sustainability of crop production.

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