Presentation: 2025 ND EPSCoR Annual conference 

October 21, 2025, NDSU Memorial Union, Fargo, North Dakota

Investigating the Chemical Profile of Quinoa Inflorescence Varieties

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a highly nutritious annual grain from the Amaranthaceae family, originally domesticated in the South American Andes approximately 7,000 years ago. It has regained global popularity as a "superfood" due to its exceptional nutritional value, health benefits, and resilience to hostile climates. Although many articles have been published on the nutritional and bioactive components of quinoa grains, leaves, sprouts, and microgreens, there is a scarcity of research on the inflorescence which is the focus of our study. In this work, a comprehensive extraction, characterization and comparison of the chemical constituents of different quinoa inflorescence varieties were carried out. This was achieved through exhaustive sequential Soxhlet extraction using a range of solvents (n-hexane, dichloromethane, methanol, and water) and analysis via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). All plant extracts underwent derivatization with N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) before GC-MS analysis. This crucial step allowed for the identification of highly polar compounds, which otherwise would not have been detected due to their low volatility and thermal instability. Phthalic acid was used as an internal standard to confirm that the derivatization process was complete. These analyses led to the identification of several plant metabolites, including sugars, organic acids, and phenolic compounds. The identity of these compounds was confirmed by comparing their mass spectra to a library and calculating their retention index. The extracts were also further tested for their antibacterial properties.