Rise in Ancient Grains from the Andean Highlands

01 Nov 2016 --- Pulses are ancient seeds and grains, one of the first foods ever eaten and cultivated by man, they are versatile and can be used as the basis of a dish or as an addition to a favorite. The International Year of Quinoa 2013 may have sparked some initial interest in ancient grains. Few people regularly used seeds and pulses were prior to this and since then the interest in quinoa and other ancient grains has grown significantly.

According to Innova Market Insights data, Health (78.25%) and Convenience Foods (75.53%) were the leading applications for Chia grains in 2016YTD. The US accounted for 31% of launches tracked that contained chia in this period. The market category where chia is listed most as an ingredient, is in the cereals category, up almost 4% YTD compared to 2015.

This year companies from Peru and Colombia will be joining forces in a collective Andean Ingredients pavilion at Hi Europe & Ni, the largest European exhibition for healthy and natural ingredients. For the first time visitors can find a range of innovative, functional and healthy ingredients from one of the world´s regions with the highest biodiversity. 

In total seven companies will present natural ingredient and healthy food solutions from products like maca, sacha inchi, goldenberry, lucuma, yacon, chia, quinoa and many more. An important objective of the Andean pavilion is to not only present innovative ingredients but also demonstrate how these ingredients can be used in the development of healthy food and beverage applications like snack bars, smoothies, bakery products and food supplements.

One of these innovative products is a cold pressed sacha inchi Seed oil from Agroindustrias Osho. Sacha Inchi, also known as Inca peanut, comes from the Peruvian jungle and its seeds are rich in protein, omega 3, 6, and 9, alpha tocopherol vitamin E, carotenoids (vitamin A), and fiber. The seed oil can be used in nutritional supplements, functional foods, pharmaceutical products and cosmetic application. Due to its slightly nutty flavor, this oil is ideal to use in salads and vegetables dishes.

The pavilion is supported by CBI (Centre for Promotion of Import from developing countries) in partnership with local trade promotion organisations such as PromPeru and ProColombia.

A visit to the Andean Ingredients pavilion will allow visitors to meet companies with these exciting new ingredients, advanced technology and sustainable business models. All companies have international business experience and at the same time contribute to economic, social and environmental development in their home markets.