HYDROLYSED QUINOA PROTEIN

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), a name derived from the Spanish “quinua” or Quechua, and pronounced “Keenwa” is a species of goosefoot a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds.

It is a pseudo-cereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds.

Quinoa is an Ancient Grain that grows high in the Andes Mountains of Peru and Bolivia as well as the high altitude regions of Colorado, USA well above the tree line in the purest of environments. This “Noble Grain” was a very important food to the Ancient Incas, and is highly regarded and consumed by health-conscious consumers to this day.

Up until now, the harvesting of Quinoa has mainly been done by hand and only rarely by machine. This is because of the extremely variable periods of maturity of native Quinoas, which increases difficulty of mechanization. Therefore, an exact timing of harvest is important in order to avoid high losses of grain due to shattering. However, the exact harvesting time is difficult to determine because seed heads of the same plant mature at different times. The grain yield reaches comparable dimensions (often between 3 – 5 tons per hectare) to Wheat yields in the Andean areas. Handling involves threshing the seed heads and winnowing the seed to remove the husk. Before storage, the seeds need to be dried in order to avoid germination.

Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, second only to the Potato, and was followed in importance by Maize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), and like oats, Quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it a complete protein source, unusual among plant foods.

It is a good source of dietary fibre and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA’s Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.

Quinoa in its natural state has a coating of bitter-tasting Saponins, making it unpalatable. Most of the Quinoa sold commercially in USA has been processed to remove this coating. This bitterness has beneficial effects during cultivation, as the plant is unpopular with birds and thus requires minimal protection.

In South America, Quinoa Saponins have many uses outside of consumption, which includes detergents for clothing and washing, and as an antiseptic for skin injuries.

Our principals Vege-Tech Co has pioneered the use of the high levels of proteins that can be extracted from Quinoa for use as a natural conditioner for hair care products. Quinoa also contains Vitamins and Minerals such as Calcium (4%), Phosphorous (6.4%) and Iron (6.6%). It’s Amino Acid Profile has been characterized as one of the most complete of any plant protein source, and is more like animal protein than a plant protein.

The Amino Acid Profile is especially high in Cysteine, Cystine, Lysine, Methionine, Tryptophane and Tyrosine, which greatly enhance its ability to aid in the Conditioning, Repairing and Protection of both hair and skin.

It is commonly known by personal care formulators that proteins of widely differing molecular weights are important for optimum efficacy in Hair Treatment or Conditioning applications.

Firstly, very low molecular weight proteins or polypeptides penetrate the hair’s cuticle offering significant repair and function as Humectants or Moisturizers. This happens because these molecules are hygroscopic, that is they associate and hold water molecules. The forces responsible for this hygroscopic effect are known as hydrogen bonding.

Secondly, proteins with larger molecular weights greater than 10,000 are excellent Film-Formers, giving the appearance of Shine & Body to the hair. These large molecular weight proteins also effectively repair man made or environmental trauma to the hair such as Split Ends. This repair is accomplished by re-attaching the two separated Cuticle layers with a Protein layer between them.

Finally, proteins of medium or intermediate sizes which have some of the properties of both small and large protein molecules and commonly penetrate the surface of the hair shaft and hold moisture in as well as coating the hair strand surface and add Shine and Combability.

Vege-Tech’s Hydrolyzed Quinoa Protein offers a naturally-based ALTERNATIVE to synthetic fixative resins by creating a nice, medium hold to hair spray formulations when used at levels >10%.

Its unique composition is effective as a Skin Hydrating Complex offering a combination of moisture-balancing and film-forming properties that work synergistically to give skin a smoother, more supple feel.

One of the ways that hair care proteins attach to human hair is thought to be by disulfide bonds (Protein-S-S-hair). Human hair contains both cystine (hair-S-S-hair) and cysteine (hair-S-H) amino acids, where (S) represents sulphur.

Many proteins, including plant proteins also contain cystine and cysteine amino acids. It has been proposed that when human hair is treated with a protein the following two reactions can take place. These could covalently attach the exogenous protein to the hair.

FEATURES & BENEFITS

• Amino Acid Profile Similar to Animal and Milk Protein
• Very High Cysteine / Cystine Content
• Excellent Film Former with a Wide Molecular Weight Range
• Sourced from Pure Environments – Free of Pesticides – GMO
• Harvested using Sustainable & Ecologically Sound Crop Management
• Substantive in Hair Care and Skin Care

Suggested Use Levels:

Skin Care: 0.5% – 5%

Hair Care: 0.5% – 20%

Note: When formulating with Quinoa Protein as a replacement for Synthetic Fixative Resins in hair sprays, it is recommended for use in lower VOC (approx. 30% Alcohol) formulations.

INCI Name: Hydrolyzed Quinoa