Nutrition is better than rice and noodles, but not the soybean grain amaranth

Species notes

I believe that many people have eaten amaranth, but it belongs to the amaranth family, which is also used as grain, feed, and vegetable grain amaranth, and not everyone has eaten it
.

This is no wonder, because the introduction of grain amaranth into China is not long, and most of the planting areas are located in remote and impoverished mountainous areas

Grain amaranth is also known as grain amaranth, commonly known as West Nian Valley, West Squash Valley, Chiho Valley and Jade Sesame
.

It has been planted as early as six to seven thousand years ago, and it was once one of the main foodstuffs for Indians in Central and South America

In 1982 and the next few years, the Institute of Crop Science of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences successively introduced grain amaranth varieties from the Rudell Organic Agriculture Center in the United States, and screened and cultivated many excellent varieties suitable for planting in different regions of China
.

In recent years, grain amaranth has settled down in many parts of the country and has become a special food and feed crop in China

Nevertheless, grain amaranth has not been favored by people
.

The reason is that its nutritional value and eating methods are poorly understood.

In fact, grain amaranth is a high-yield crop that is resistant to drought, salt-alkali, barrenness, disease and insect pests, and has strong adaptability
.

3000-3500 plants can be planted per acre, and each plant can produce 100,000-150,000 seeds, and each acre can produce 300-500 kg of seeds

According to the laboratory analysis of the Sichuan Institute of Animal Science and the Central Laboratory of Agricultural Sciences, the grain amaranth contains 16.
5%-17.
1% crude protein, 0.
5%-0.
6% lysine, 6%-6.
4% crude fat, and nitrogen-free extract 62 %—62.
68%, these main nutrients are higher than the content of wheat, rice and corn; calcium 0.
7%—0.
72%, phosphorus 0.
72%—0.
74%, crude fiber 6.
6%, crude ash 4.
6%—4.
9%, Equivalent to the content of beans
.

Especially the rich lysine content is unmatched by many grains

The flour processed from grain amaranth is called grain amaranth noodles, which can be cooked into a variety of foods like corn noodles, buckwheat noodles, and wheat noodles, for staple food or snacks, and has a beautiful fragrance
.

However, the most promising development of grain amaranth is to be used as a food additive

In foreign countries, wheat noodles, grain amaranth noodles, and buckwheat noodles are made at a ratio of 85:10:5.
The nutrient content is higher than that of pure wheat products, and the taste exceeds that of pure wheat bread.
Wheat noodles and grain amaranth noodles are made at 90:10.
The ratio of making biscuits, the physical properties also exceed the level of pure flour biscuits, and the nutritional value is much higher
.

In addition, the grain amaranth can also be used to make wine, process soy sauce and make beverages

The stems and leaves of grain amaranth are good fodder for poultry and livestock.
Pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, rabbits, etc.
all love to eat, and it is easy to grow fat and fatten, and the rate of slaughter is early
.
Because of its strong plant regenerability, it can be harvested three to four times in a single planting, with a yield of about 6000-6500 kg per unit.
It is the most productive and nutritious variety in green fodder
.
Many farmers and herdsmen also eat it as a vegetable, and its grain is an important raw material for compound feed and concentrated feed
.

(The author is a member of China Popular Science Writers Association)