The global potential for quinoa and other Andean crops

Crops that have been cultivated in the Andean region for thousands of years have a high level of resistance to drought, frost, salinity, pests, and diseases, and have only been little improved over the years. The Andean crops, which include grains, tubers, roots, fruit trees, aromatics, and medicinal plants, have a great potential for increased use and for transformation into a range of processed products. The challenge to enhancing use of these crops will be to find the most adequate forms to use and improve, without negatively altering their flavor, color, and texture characteristics. They should be produced and processed in a sustainable way in harmony with nature, because they present comparative and competitive advantages for the acquisition of organic products. There is great genetic diversity in the Andean crops, with a variability of forms, colors, and sizes. Furthermore, there are differences in quality and quantity of primary constituents (starches, proteins, sugars, fatty acids, minerals, vitamins, glucosides) and secondary metabolites (saponins, alkaloids, tannins, oxalates, carotenes, anthocyanins, betalains). Agroindustrial research should search for genotypes for each specific use. Genetic transformation must be accomplished while preserving nutritive quality. And, these crops must be cast in the best light so that they are appropriately valued by consumers unfamiliar with them.