Amaranth grain

Amaranth, uncooked

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	1,554 kJ (371 kcal)
Carbohydrates	65 g
- Sugars	1.7 g
- Dietary fiber	7 g
Fat	7 g
Protein	14 g
Water	11 g
Thiamine (vit. B1)	0.1 mg (9%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2)	0.2 mg (17%)
Niacin (vit. B3)	0.9 mg (6%)
Pantothenic acid (B5)	1.5 mg (30%)
Vitamin B6	0.6 mg (46%)
Folate (vit. B9)	82 μg (21%)
Calcium	159 mg (16%)
Iron	7.6 mg (58%)
Magnesium	248 mg (70%)
Manganese	3.4 mg (162%)
Phosphorus	557 mg (80%)
Potassium	508 mg (11%)
Zinc	2.9 mg (31%)
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Amaranth, cooked

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	429 kJ (103 kcal)
Carbohydrates	19 g
- Dietary fiber	2 g
Fat	2 g
Protein	4 g
Water	75 g
Thiamine (vit. B1)	0.02 mg (2%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2)	0.02 mg (2%)
Niacin (vit. B3)	0.24 mg (2%)
Vitamin B6	0.1 mg (8%)
Folate (vit. B9)	22 μg (6%)
Calcium	47 mg (5%)
Iron	2.1 mg (16%)
Magnesium	65 mg (18%)
Manganese	0.9 mg (43%)
Phosphorus	148 mg (21%)
Potassium	135 mg (3%)
Zinc	0.9 mg (9%)
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Amaranth has been cultivated as a grain for 8,000 years.^[1] The yield of grain amaranth is comparable to rice or maize. It was a staple food of the Aztecs, and was used as an integral part of Aztec religious ceremonies. The cultivation of amaranth was banned by the conquistadores upon their conquest of the Aztec nation. Because the plant has continued to grow as a weed since that time, its genetic base has been largely maintained. Research on grain amaranth began in the US in the 1970s. By the end of the 1970s, a few thousand acres were being cultivated.^[2] Much of the grain currently grown is sold in health food shops.

Grain amaranth is also grown as a food crop in limited amounts in Mexico, where it is used to make a candy called alegría (Spanish for happiness) at festival times. Amaranth species that are still used as a grain are: Amaranthus caudatus, Amaranthus cruentus, and Amaranthus hypochondriacus. The grain is popped and mixed with honey. In Maharashtra state of India, it is called "rājgīrā" (राजगीरा) in the Marathi language. The popped grain is mixed with melted jaggery in proper proportion to make iron and energy rich “laddus,” a popular food provided at the Mid-day Meal Program in municipal schools.

Amaranth grain can also be used to extract amaranth oil - a particularly valued pressed seed oil with many commercial uses.

Nutritional analysis

As the following table shows, in a raw form, grain amaranth has many nutrients.^[3][4]

Raw amaranth grain, however, isn't edible and can not be digested. Amaranth grain must be prepared and cooked like other grains. Another table below suggests cooked amaranth is a competing and promising source of nutrition when compared to wheat bread, higher in some nutrients and lower in others.

The protein is of an unusually high quality, according to Educational Concerns For Hunger Organization (ECHO).^[1] The actual nutritional value of amaranth as human food is less than would be expected from raw amaranth grain data. According to ECHO,^[1] this is due to anti-nutritional factors in raw amaranth grain; examples of anti-nutritional factors present in amaranth include oxalates, nitrates, saponins and phenolic compounds. Cooking methods such as boiling amaranth in water and then discarding the water may reduce its toxic effects.

Amaranth grain is particularly high in lysine, an amino acid that is low in other grains.^[5][6] Amaranth grain is deficient in essential amino acids such as leucine and threonine^[7][8] – both of which are present in wheat germ.^[9][10] Amaranth grain is free of gluten, which is important for people with gluten allergies.

Synopsis[4] ~ composition:	Amaranth[11]	Wheat[12]	Rice[13]	Sweetcorn[14]	Potato[15]
Component (per 100g portion)	Amount	Amount	Amount	Amount	Amount
water (g)	11	11	12	76	82
energy (kJ)	1554	1506	1527	360	288
energy (kCal)	371	360	365	86	69
protein (g)	14	23	7	3	1.7
fat (g)	7	10	1	1	0.1
carbohydrates (g)	65	52	79	19	16
fiber (g)	7	13	1	3	2.4
sugars (g)	1.7	<0.1	>0.1	3	1.2
iron (mg)	7.6	6.3	0.8	0.5	0.5
manganese (mg)	3.4	13.3	1.1	0.2	0.1
calcium (mg)	159	39	28	2	9
magnesium (mg)	248	239	25	37	21
phosphorus (mg)	557	842	115	89	62
potassium (mg)	508	892	115	270	407
zinc (mg)	2.9	12.3	1.1	0.5	0.3
pantothenic acid (mg)	1.5	2.3	1.0	0.7	0.3
vitB6 (mg)	0.6	1.3	0.2	0.1	0.2
folate (µg)	82	281	8	42	18
thiamin (mg)	0.1	1.9	0.1	0.2	0.1
riboflavin (mg)	0.2	0.5	>0.1	0.1	>0.1
niacin (mg)	0.9	6.8	1.6	1.8	1.1

The table below presents nutritional values of cooked, edible form of amaranth grain to cooked, edible form of wheat grain as reported by United States Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 23 (2010).

Synopsis[4] ~ composition:	Amaranth grain, cooked[16]	Bread, wheat germ[17]
Component (per 100g portion)	Amount	Amount
water (g)	75	37
energy (kJ)	429	1092
protein (g)	4	10
fat (g)	2	3
carbohydrates (g)	19	48
fiber (g)	2	2
sugars (g)	n/a	4
iron (mg)	2.1	3.5
manganese (mg)	0.85	0.85
calcium (mg)	47	89
magnesium (mg)	65	28
phosphorus (mg)	148	121
potassium (mg)	135	254
zinc (mg)	0.9	1.0
pantothenic acid (mg)	<0.1	0.5
vitB6 (mg)	0.11	0.08
folate (µg)	22	118
thiamin (mg)	<0.1	0.4
riboflavin (mg)	0.02	0.38
niacin (mg)	0.24	4.5

Additional agricultural information

Amaranth from its start as a plant has literally a worldwide population currently where there are varieties for greens, varieties for grain, combinations and even ornamentals. The Great Plains has seen a surge in this crop from Rodale Farms developed varieties.

Amaranthus retroflexus, or pigweed, is a wild amaranth species in the United States. The name derives from the plant's tendency to sprout where hogs are pasture fed. Although both the leaves and seeds are edible, pigweed has not been cultivated as a food crop.

The virtue of amaranth is that in light soils it will produce food under harsh and lackluster nutrient conditions much like the grain sorghum. It is a very efficient grain crop.

References