Quinoa oil is a vegetable oil extracted from germ of the Chenopodium quinoa, an Andean

Andes

The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...

 cereal

Cereal

Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...

 and has been cultivated since at least 3000 B.C. Quinoa

Quinoa

Quinoa , a species of goosefoot , is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family...

 itself has attracted considerable interest as a source of protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

, but the oil derived from quinoa

Quinoa

Quinoa , a species of goosefoot , is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family...

 is of interest in its own right. Quinoa oil is most similar to corn oil

Corn oil

Corn oil is oil extracted from the germ of corn . Its main use is in cooking, where its high smoke point makes refined corn oil a valuable frying oil. It is also a key ingredient in some margarines. Corn oil is generally less expensive than most other types of vegetable oils. One bushel of corn...

, and is rich in essential fatty acids (linoleic acid

Linoleic acid

Linoleic acid is an unsaturated n-6 fatty acid. It is a colorless liquid at room temperature. In physiological literature, it has a lipid number of 18:2...

 and linolenic acid), linoleic being predominant. Although, quinoa oil contains more essential fatty acids than corn oil. Quinoa yields an average of 5.8% oil by weight, compared to 3-4% for corn (maize), which means it could protentially be used to produce more oil than an amount of corn of the same weight.

Most oils with high concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids spoil quickly, but quinoa and corn oil both have high quantities of natural antioxidant

Antioxidant

An antioxidant is a molecule capable of inhibiting the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons or hydrogen from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals. In turn, these radicals can start chain reactions. When...

s, specifically tocopherol

Tocopherol

Tocopherols are a class of chemical compounds of which many have vitamin E activity. It is a series of organic compounds consisting of various methylated phenols...

  isomers, which makes them more stable and less likely to become rancid, guaranteeing a longer shelf-life.

Uses

Quinoa is a natural source of Vitamin E

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is used to refer to a group of fat-soluble compounds that include both tocopherols and tocotrienols. There are many different forms of vitamin E, of which γ-tocopherol is the most common in the North American diet. γ-Tocopherol can be found in corn oil, soybean oil, margarine and dressings...

 and therefore is used in many anti-aging skin products , as well as hair products. Quinoa oil is used in many recipes as a substitute for other various kinds of cooking oil. For example, it can be used in cooking, frying and salad dressing. The high level of saturated fatty acids present in the oil make it an ideal candidate for cooking use. Quinoa oil has also been used in eczema

Eczema

Eczema is a form of dermatitis, or inflammation of the epidermis . In England, an estimated 5.7 million or about one in every nine people have been diagnosed with the disease by a clinician at some point in their lives.The term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions...

 treatments.

Production

Quinoa oil is produced from the cold pressing of the quinoa seed. The yield of oil by weight is an average of 6 percent and ranges from 2-9 percent. The amount of oil in quinoa is relatively high compared with other cereal grains such as corn or wheat.