Amaranthus, Wheat, and Quinoa

Candice Choi, Canadian Press
Published: Thursday, June 22, 2006

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Amid the aisles of spaghetti and canned peas, cereals and breads made with mysterious-sounding grains like amaranth and quinoa are sprouting up at major supermarkets.

Wheat is still king of the whole grains in most parts of North America, but the appearance of such alternatives indicates consumers are beginning to expand a niche market once relegated to the obscure corners of health food stores.

"People are realizing there's a benefit to eating a diversity of grains - and these grains have some incredible nutritional properties," said Carole Fenster, an author of numerous cookbooks that incorporate wheat-free grains.

New U.S. guidelines recommending three servings of whole grains a day have put a spotlight on wheat, but exposure to barley, brown rice and other options has also grown, said Alice Lichtenstein, chair of the nutrition committee at the American Heart Association.

According to the marketing information company ACNielsen, sales of products with whole grain claims on their packages for the year ending April 22 increased 9.5 per cent from the previous year.

NuWorld Amaranth, one of the main buyers of amaranth in the U.S., reported a 300 per cent increase in sales in the past three years. Bob's Red Mill, which sells alternative wheat-free grains, saw a 25 per cent increase in sales in the past year, with quinoa driving the bulk of the growth.

Amaranth, grown for millennia by the Aztecs, has twice as much iron as wheat and is higher in protein and fibre. Quinoa, an ancient Andean crop, has less fibre but more protein and iron than wheat.

It may take some time for the unfamiliar grains to find broad acceptance. Canadian and American palates are still adjusting to whole wheat, and amaranth's distinct, slightly nutty taste could take some getting used to.

One reason for the fledgling demand is a growing awareness of celiac disease, which is triggered by gluten, the protein found in wheat. Symptoms range from severe cramping to chronic fatigue and even organ disorders.

There is also a growing crossover market of health-conscious shoppers in search of the most nutritious grains, said Diane Walters, spokeswoman for NuWorld.

ConAgra Mills is working with farmers to expand the supply of sustagrain, a type of barley with a 30 per cent fibre content, said Don Brown, vice-president of business development at the company.

While products made entirely of amaranth and quinoa may not hit the mainstream anytime soon, the demand for such grains as ingredients will likely get a boost as multigrain products proliferate, said Robert Myers, executive director of the Thomas Jefferson Agricultural Institute, a research centre in Columbus, Mo.

"Once they get past corn, wheat and oats, they'll eventually get around to picking up grains like amaranth," he said.

Alternative grains also benefit from the popularity of organic goods, Fenster said - Whole Foods even has a line of bakery goods devoted to gluten-free diets.

"As people go into those stores, they can't help but notice those products," she said.

Supply of some alternative grains is still limited, however. Estimates of U.S. farmland devoted to amaranth, for example, range from 400 hectares to 1,200 hectares - compared with 20 million hectares for wheat, according to the Thomas Jefferson Institute.

A look at the nutritional profiles of whole grains per 100 grams:

Wheat

Fibre, 12.2 grams

Protein, 13.7 grams

Iron, 3.8 milligrams

Amaranth

Fibre, 15.2 grams

Protein, 14.5 grams

Iron, 7.6 milligrams

Quinoa

Fibre, 15.5 grams

Protein, 14.2 grams

Iron, 4 milligrams