Gluten-Free Autochthonous Foodstuff (South America and Other Countries)
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C HAPTER 18 Gluten-Free Autochthonous Foodstuff (South America and Other Countries María Alejandra García1, Sonia Zulma Viña1,2 1 Universidad Nacional de La Plata UNLP! " Consejo Nacional de $nvesti%aciones Cientí&icas ' (écnicas #*N$#+("La Plata, Centro de $nvesti%aci,n ' -esarrollo en #riotecnolo%ía de Alimentos #$-CA!, Ar%entina. 2 Universidad Nacional de La Plata, /acultad de #iencias A%rarias ' /orestales, La0oratorio de $nvesti%aci,n en Productos A%roindustriales L$PA! " #urso 1ioquímica ' /itoquímica, Ar%entina. ma%arcia3quimica.unl4.edu.ar, soniavia3quimica.unl4.edu.ar -oi5 6tt4577d8.doi.or%719.:;2<7oms.2<< Ho! to cite this cha"ter García MA, Viña SZ. Gluten-Free Autochthonous Foodstuff (South America and Other Countries). In Arranz E, Fernández-Bañares F, Rosell CM, Rodrigo L, !eña AS, edi"ors. Advances in the Understanding of Gluten Related Patholog and the Evolution of Gluten-Free Foods. Barcelona, Spain$ OmniaScience; 2)*+. p. 6)+-,--. <9= M.A. García, S.Z. Viña A # s t r a c t (6e conservation and sustaina0le use o& 0iodiversit' for a%riculture and nutrition 6ave 0een extensivel' 4ointed out as crucial elements &or food securit' and nutrition. Li>e?ise, t6e relevance o& learnin% from traditional foods and a44l'in% indi%enous kno?led%e &or t6e develo4ment and 4roduction o& innovative %luten"free foods 6as 0een referred. Sout6 and #entral America 6ave su44lied a %reat quantit' o& 4lant foods for t6e sustenance o& t6e 6umankind. Latin"America is 0' t6is time one o& t6e @orld lar%est net food exportin% area. Ao?ever, its com4lete 4otential to expand a%ricultural 4roduction for re%ional consum4tion and %lo0al ex4ort 6as not 'et 0een ac6ieved. (6e region 6as a lar%e num0er o& skilled &armers t6at 6ave 4reserved and transmitted t6eir kno?led%e t6rou%6 %enerations. /eedin% a ra4idl' %ro?in% %lo0al 4o4ulation ?it6out expandin% farmin% into environmentall' suscepti0le areas and reducin% t6e 4roductive a0ilit' o& t6e land alread' cultivated is a c6allen%e t6at 4resents an elevated com4lexity level. $n a framewor> o& a stron% need for diet diversification, 4o4ulations ?it6 s4ecial nutritional requirements, suc6 as celiac 4atients, s6ould 0e 0enefited ?it6 t6e offer o& more 0alanced, ric6 and safe diet com4onents. (6e 4ossi0ilit' o& learnin% to a %reat extent from traditional foods and s4read on local and territorial kno?led%e &or t6e develo4ment and 4roduction o& innovative %luten"free foods a44ears as a 4romisin% alternative. (6is c6a4ter collects information a0out several 4lant s4ecies from t6e American continent t6at are more extensivel' used for t6e <9< Gluten-Free Autochthonous Foodstuff (South America and Other Countries 4roduction o& %luten"free foods e. %. maize, 4otato, cassava, s?eet 4otato, quinoa, amarant6, some le%ume %rains! as ?ell as ot6er s4ecies t6at could 4otentially 0e develo4ed ?it6 t6e same 4ur4ose, suc6 as t6e Andean root and tu0er cro4s5 ac6ira, a6i4a, arracac6a, maca, mas6ua, mauka, oca, ulluco, and 'acon. Ke%!ords Plant 0iodiversit' and &ood, &ood sources &rom Sout6 and #entral America, maiBe, 4otato, and cassava, andean root, tu0er, and %rain crops, innovative gluten"&ree 4roducts, &amil' &arming and &ood 4roduction. <9C M.A. García, S.Z. Viña 1& 'iodi(ersit% and Food (6e /ood and Agriculture *rganiBation of t6e United Nations /A*! extensivel' ?orks on t6e conservation and sustainable use of 0iodiversit' &or agriculture and nutrition1, ?6ic6 is considered crucial &or sustainable diets and &or &ood security and nutrition. Biodiversit' is understood as t6e variabilit' amon% livin% organisms &rom all sources, comprisin% terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and t6e ecological complexes of ?6ic6 t6ey are 4art. $t includes diversity ?it6in s4ecies, 0et?een s4ecies and t6e diversity of t6e ecosystems2. Accordin% to Savard et al.:, in t6e last decades 0iodiversit' concerns 6ave 0een in t6e 6ead of conservation e&&orts ?orld?ide2. (6e term D0iodiversit'D transcends all levels of li&e, &rom %enes to communities, and all s4atial and temporal scales. Biodiversit' conce4ts can give a 6el4&ul su44ort &or conservation e&&orts. Durin% 6istor', 6uman 0eings 6ave adapted to t6e tasks of t6eir local environments to 4roduce &ood systems ?it6 ap4ropriate cultural &eatures t6at 4rovide 6ealt6' diets. Nevert6eless, no?adays nearl' ;99 million 4eople in t6e ?orld su&&er c6ronic 6unger, diverse kinds of malnutrition and t6e' 6ave de&icient access to 6ealt6' &ood4,=. $t 6as 0een 4ointed out t6at 6uman 6ealt6iness relies on t6e 6ealt6 of t6e ecosystems t6at su44orts 4eople live, ?6ic6 must 0e care&ull' 4rotected. (6e 0iodiversit' in6erent to t6e ecosystems must 0e safeguarded since it contri0utes to varied, 6ealt6' and sustainable diets. Un&ortunatel', t6ere is a ?orld?ide tendenc' to?ards dietar' simpliFcation and a loss of &ood 0iodiversit' is veri&ied due to a 4rogressive reliance on a reduced num0er of varieties of staple &ood crops1. (6ere are over 50,999 edi0le 4lants in t6e ?orld. Ao?ever, onl' t6ree crops rice, ?6eat and maiBe! 4rovide <9G of t6e &ood ener%' su44l' &rom 4lant origin. A &e? 6undred of 4lant s4ecies contri0ute signi&icantl' to &ood su44lies. $n 4articular, t6e Poaceae 0otanical &amil' t6e &i&t6"largest 4lant <9H Gluten-Free Autochthonous Foodstuff (South America and Other Countries &amil'! comprises more t6an 10,999 s4ecies 0ut &e? of t6em 6ave 0een 0roadl' introduced into cultivation over t6e 4ast 2,000 'ears. $t is a ver' ?ell"kno?n &act t6at crop %enetic diversit' is under gro?in% 4ressure &rom ur0an development, disease, and climate c6ange, ?6ile mono"crop4in% agricultural 4ractices relyin% on a &e? 6i%6"yieldin% s4ecies and varieties! e84ose &ood su44l' to considerable risks. Little genetic diversit' makes crops susce4ti0le to ?ides4read diseases, as 6ap4ened durin% t6e $ris6 Potato /amine, ?6en t6e late 0li%6t 4at6ogen ?i4ed out entire crops of t6e dominant 4otato variet', and one million 4eople starved to deat6<. Accordin% to Dini et al.C, t6e &ood su44l' relyin% on relativel' &e? crops 6as negativel' af&ected t6e competitiveness of minor or 6eritage crops. (6e' 6ave 0een restricted to su0sistence uses or su0jected to a disap4earance ris>. (6e rene?ed interest in neglected and under"utiliBed s4ecies arises &rom t6eir involvement in agricultural diversi&ication and t6e en6ancement in t6e use of land, t6eir economic 4otential and t6e 4ros4ect &or diet diversi&ication. (6ese 4lant s4ecies 6ave 0een used 0' local 4opulations &or man' centuries. (6eir innovation is t6us related to t6e manner in ?6ic6 old and ne? uses are 0ein% readdressedC. (6ere are several Bones of t6e +art6 t6at concentrate t6e major 0iological ric6ness and t6e' are &requentl' re&erred to as Imega-diverse regionsD. U4"to C9G of t6e 0iological diversit' of our 4lanet is &ound in 17 countries, re4resentin% 10% of t6e total 4lanet extension. (6e American continent joins t6e 6i%6est num0er of mega"diverse countries seven in total!5 Brazil, #olom0ia, +cuador, USA, Mexico, Peru, and VeneBuela. /ive countries ?it6 t6ese &eatures are situated in Asia #6ina, P6ili44ines, $ndonesia, $ndia, and Malaysia)J t6ree in A&rica Madagascar, Democratic Re4u0lic of t6e #ongo, and Sout6 A&rica)J and t?o in *ceania Australia and Papua Ne? Guinea). (6e unique c6aracteristics t6at allo? to an enormous num0er of s4ecies 0ein% originated in and in6abitin% t6ese countries are5 1! man' of t6em are in t6e tropics, ?6ere environmental conditions climate and soils! &avor 0iodiversit'J 2! t6e coexistence of islands and t6e continental 4ortions allo?s <9; M.A. García, S.Z. Viña to t6e development of endemic, distinctive &lora and &auna; :! t6ese countries comprise extensive areas t6at can s6elter a lot of 0iological s4ecies, &rom di&&erent origins. Li>e?ise, t6e domestication of 4lants and animal 0' t6e indigenous communities gave rise to a 6uge natural ric6ness. Some of t6e main messages and conclusions of t6e (6ird $nternational Symposium on Gluten"/ree /oods and 1everages G/13 #on&erence!, 6eld in Vienna Austria) in Lune 2013 re&erred to t6e 4ossi0ility of learnin% to a great extent &rom traditional &oods and ap4lyin% indigenous kno?ledge &or t6e development and 4roduction of innovative gluten"&ree &oodsH. Ao?ever, t6ere is an urgent need to 0e carin% of t6e local liveli6ood &rom ?6ic6 t6e ?6ole mankind could ac6ieve a very valuable kno?ledge. Li>e?ise, ?it6 t6e development of ne? &ood 4roducts and t6e emergin% of geneticall' modi&ied and ot6er ne? %rain varieties, it 0ecomes necessar' to sta' alert and constantl' communicate 4otential ne? risks &or gluten intolerant individuals ?6o make u4 on average 1% and in some areas a lot more t6an 6% of t6e general 4opulationH. #urrent trends s6o? t6at t6e gluten"&ree G/! &oodstu&& mar>et is one of t6e most %ro?in% mar>ets in t6e sector of &ood and 0everages, considerin% its evolution in recent 'ears as ?ell as t6e 4ros4ective &or t6e immediate &uture. )& Gluten-Free Autochthonous Foodstuff from South and Central America )&1& Mai+e MaiBe Zea mays! also kno?n as corn! is native to t6e ?estern 6emis46ere, alt6ou%6 its e8act 4lace of origin is not completel' certain. Arc6eological data &ound &rom drill cores at Mexico #it' ?ere identi&ied as maiBe 4ollen %rains considered to 0e 80,999 'ears old;. Li>e?ise, corn cobs t6at ?ere dated 5,<99 'ears old 0' radiocar0on determination ?ere &ound at t6e 0at caves in Ne? Mexico. Most 6istorians acce4t t6at corn ?as <19 Gluten-Free Autochthonous Foodstuff (South America and Other Countries domesticated in t6e (e6uacan Valle' of Mexico and t6at t6e original ?ild &orms 6ave long 0een e8tinct;. Proofs suggest t6at cultivated maiBe developed t6rou%6 natural crossin%s, &irstl' ?it6 gamagrass to yield teosinte and t6en 4robabl' ?it6 0ac>"crossin% of teosinte to 4rimitive maiBe to 4roduce modern races. MaiBe ?as an 6onored &ood in t6e Americas.