QUINOA-bioDIVersity

Globalization standardizes agriculture and food systems that generates poor nutritious foods and it is a factor of non-communicable diseases. Biodiversity erosion put at risk our food system. Today our world's diet is based on 4 major species. Intensive agricultural generates antagonism between high yields and poor nutritional value. But 7000 species are known as food where the Superfoods like Quinoa as part of the solution: its adaptation to climate change and exceptional nutritional value are recognized worldwide. Our solution is to produce an radically new bread with high nutritional value, gluten-free and additive-free, based on quinoa flours thanks to the incorporation of an innovative technology developed by fermentation and UV drying of cassava. Our proposal is to build on its quinoa biodiversity, for changing lives for producers (new incomes) and consumers (Nutritive foods). We propose new healthy products based on quinoa from varietal blends which help in reducing agricultural waste.

Gluten allergy is the most common digestive diseases. It affects one person in a hundred in the World. Added to these serious celiacs, 10% of the population is intolerant to gluten, which constitutes a pool of 11% of the population to which is added a further 10% of vegetarian and vegan consumers who exclude gluten from their diet. The exclusion of gluten from the diet is the daily concern of patients who must be vigilant in their choice of common foodstuffs, with the added difficulty of combining gluten-free foods with nutritional quality. The main products offered based on cereal flour (corn, rice) do not compete with the nutritional quality of quinoa (Proteins, EFAs, vitamins, minerals, lipids (omegas 3,6,9) and fiber, and with the main disadvantage of a high glycemic index. In addition, the gluten-free baking of these cereals often requires various additives that complicate the recipe and can be detrimental to quality and taste.Tomorrow's gluten-free diet will have to reconcile a technology based on a limited number of ingredients to promote autonomy of preparation (millions of end users) and maintain the balance of all the properties of products with high nutritional values (e.g. quinoa flour).

My solution is a simple but revolutionary recipe based on a mixture of quinoa flours with fermented cassava starch, and solar UV drying, to meet the above health and nutritional guarantee requirements and to offer a product (ready-to-use mix) that can be easily appropriated by professionals in alternative bakeries and informed consumers from specialized circuits.

My company has developed its own know-how through the crossing and adaptation of two traditional processes from West Africa and the Amazon, to enable the baking power to be restored to a gluten-free flour while preserving its nutritional value and without any additives. The laboratory-controlled technology of fermentation and subsequent solar drying of the sour cassava starch is then combined with a gluten-free mechanical dough-dressing process for baking.

The solution has three main impacts : social, environmental and economic, and will change the life of many people.

The solution contributes to a rich and diversified diet for target populations dependent on restrictive diets. The main end consumers are the 1% celiacs, 10% gluten intolerant + 10% vegetarians & vegans and other niche populations (newborns and elderly).

The solution take into account small farmers with supporting them towards a formalized agroecological specification in a participatory collective brand for development. 28 farmers organizations from 5 Andean countries are associated to the collective brand for the sourcing.

The solution will have a strong social responsibility enhancing the links between consumers and producers  considering short-distance circuits developing alliances with importers-distributors to accompany them towards a change of system. Today, three alliances with private firms were already established by large regions (USA / Europe / China) with low environmental footprint . The solution is accompanying them in an innovative social business with ethical sourcing and environmental protection for going forward fair trade and organic agriculture in our future world.

The current market does not present products similar to my solution which  is based on 2 main pillars:

- A solution for Consumers: my high nutritive bread gives all the nutrients needed by celiac people without any additives. 21% of the world population should be interested in my solution.

- A solution for Small Farmers by conserving their local quinoa. This biocultural heritage is at the heart of more than 85% of the quinoa production in South America. My solution will contribute to the life of more than 40,000 families related to 28 local organizations and communities.

The current technological environment only has two competitors:

- Alternative bakeries working with gluten-free flours are using Rice, Buckwheat, Manioc, or Millet flours for gourmet restaurants. Their approach is only based on the obstacles of "gluten-free" bread-making and not on the nutritional quality of the flours. Their  bread partially meets the demand of the celiacs for the nutritional value of their intakes. Quinoa flour is much richer than the flours used. Another advantage of our solution is ours links to international agribusinesses involved in quinoa that open potential development to the national and international markets.

- Among the major technological issues surrounding gluten-free products, New Gluten World, an Italian company, promotes worldwide a methodology for the inhibition of gluten in cereals that will replace current gluten-free approaches. The methodology is already protected by a patent in 105 countries. The idea is to allow milling companies to detoxify the gluten in grain for incorporation into any food. After 10 years, the process remains confidential in terms of dissemination. Possible gluten contamination of the processing chains put at risk the sanitary guarantee for coeliacs. The cost of processing and traceability is the first obstacle; second, the repercussions of the inhibition method by microwaves will generate the distrust of the targeted consumers; third remains the low nutritional value of the current cereal flours .

Our bread solution based on organic quinoa flour appears naturally gluten-free and with the image of a healthy product for the consumer.

The use of  quinoa flour corn and cassava starch was evaluated in several formulations aiming to find a flour mixture to replace wheat flour in the production of free-gluten white bread. Production parameters were evaluated through sensory analysis. The resulting breads were evaluated taking into account physical parameters (crumb appearance, specific volume and moisture) and sensorial parameters (flavor, appearance, crumb texture, crust color and satisfaction). Regarding flavor and moisture, breads prepared with the three different ingredients were not statistically different at 5% probability by the Tuckey test. However, they differed significantly regarding the specific volume, crumb texture, crust color, degree of satisfaction and external appearance. Quinoa flour bread presented the best parameters,
being preferred by the sensory evaluation panel, followed by rice starch bread and cassava starch bread.

The solution is based on the preparation of the fermented cassava starch for eliminating its toxicity and after a solar UV drying giving it the potential for making-bread in addition with gluten-free flours.

As far as crumb texture was concerned, quinoa starch bread presented larger alveoli. Production parameters were established based on these results and a mixture of flours, composed by a major % of quinoa flour, less than 25% fermented cassava starch and secondary ingredients , presented good results
originating bread with crumb formed by uniform and well distributed cells, and pleasant flavor and appearance.

My solution contains both the cassava fermentation and drying, the quinoa bread formulation and the controlled process for bread-making (humidity, temperature, etc.).

This technology already works and was tested with professional bakeries. With my Research Institution (CIRAD) and the University of Montpellier, we have accompanied two years ago a local enterprise for using the technology with Rice flour for only local distribution in the Southern part of France.

This company does not have the potential for going forward with research and development so solution exists but today I am the only one able to develop it at international scale for the well-being of many people and especially celiac people.

My theory of change includes three parts:

1/ Alternative bakeries are trained to use my Mix Flours ready-to-use (quinoa gluten free flours) for bread-making. Celiac consumers find highly nutritive bread at reasonable price. They can manage more easily their diet without problems of malnutrition due to the poverty of their usual gluten-free products. The long term impact comes with less expenses for them and the increasing of their global health statement.

2/ Small-scale farmers maintain their local varieties of quinoa. Innovation in agroecological practices help them increasing yields. The first important outcome is the launching of the Collective Trademark "Andean quinoa" as a powerful positioning in the global quinoa markets recognizing the importance of its origin for nutrient contents. The quinoa production is consolidated at regional and global level with transfer of technologies to the developing countries. Quinoa producers increase their standard of living and have now a better well-being.

3/ Importers and distributors of quinoa worldwide are interested in quinoa new products for diversifying their offer. They sign alliances with my firm considering the social and environmental responsibility as essential. They agree to change the modalities of the sourcing for their supplying. Testing new contracts with farmers and consumers, they change the philosophy of their business model. A large public of consumers accepts the integrative labeling from sourcing to consuming with norms for biodiversity consideration, environmental footprint and nutritional contents. Farmers' incomes increase, Consumers' expenses decrease, and Ethic of Retailers provides more harmony to the society.

Focusing on the number of people that my solution will directly and meaningfully affect, I considered the alliances developed for being able to consolidate my business model with ethical and economical development:

- the current number of people I am serving is : 400 producers &  0 consumers

- the number I will be serving in one year: 5,000 producers & 50,000 consumers

- the number I will be serving in five years: 40,000 producers & 2 millions consumers

My first goal within the next year is to be recognized international among the main innovative healthy products of the year with my quinoa gluten-free bread.

With that global recognition and alliances ready to go forward (EKKIBIO/Europe; Andean Naturals/USA), it will be possible to reach more than 50,000 in a year and 5 millions by 5 years.

Local Farmers contribution to the sourcing will increase progressively with the consumers acceptation of the products.

Working during the first two years with a key main product, the quinoa gluten free revolutionary bread, I am also developing in parallel 3 others gluten free products also based on a mixture of quinoa flours.

Within 3 years, the diversification of the products proposed will contribute to reach easily ours objectives.

The main existing barrier is maintaining the financial independence of my firm for consolidating the business model with an ethical perspective that guarantees to maintain the local quinoa biodiversity that is at the origin of the solution.

Contracting from now a jurist will help me in consolidating all legal aspects. A commercial alliance have already be signed with a French High Business School for accompanying the positioning of the development model into various markets.

The solution is very original and have already received support than various groups of actors than helped to overcome existing barriers:

- Researchers and Academics are accompanying the emergence of the Solution for adapting and testing the technologies used under controlled conditions. The prototype is under finalization by two months.

- The business model was consolidated with Aix-Marseille Business School that shapes very innovative development model with realistic perspectives for its feasibility.

- This development pathway was presented to three of the main quinoa importers and quinoa distributors at global level and they wanted to be part of the project. Negotiations are in course and agreements will be conclude only after the prototyping phase, by the end of 2020, for remaining the more independent.

The barriers remaining will be overcome with contracting three specialist (law, marketing, food technology) during the next months.

In 2020, the solution team is composed by 3 part-time staff and 5 contractors working as free-lance for niche market studies.

For the second semester of 2020, we will have 3 full-time staff working on the development of the solution.

By the end of 2021, we are expecting to have 15 people working together for the solution.

Since 2004, the project leader has been involved in research on quinoa with the coordination of various international projects. Following the decision of the United Nations (12/2011), he participates as representative for Europe in the International Coordinating Committee for the International Year of Quinoa in 2013 (CIC-IYQ2013). Within this framework, he coordinates a World State of the Art on quinoa in the world in 2013 : a reference book of 724 pages structured in 43 chapters involving 160 authors, experts specialized in quinoa, from 22 countries. Since 2011, he accompanies the FAO-HQ on the expansion of quinoa cultivation worldwide and has been invited as a "visiting scientist" at the FAO-HQ for the period 2014-2016 to assume the coordination of different regional quinoa experimentation projects covering 26 countries outside the Andean zone in Africa, Asia, Middle East and Central Europe. He was then appointed as the global focal point for quinoa by FAO-HQ.

The global collaborative network (GCN-Quinoa.org) that he created in 2015 has 285 researchers from 75 countries.
The Solution received the support of the AgroValo Méditerranée incubator for agrifood startups. The identification of barriers and gaps to be removed through market studies were specified and the definition of the laboratory prototype tests necessary for the proof of concept and prototyping were defined. The project leader's very good knowledge of industrialists in the field creates a ripple effect among the partners solicited, who wish to be associated with the valorisation of the project results.

For research :

- CIRAD, the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development, is an organization working for the sustainable development of tropical and Mediterranean regions.

- Montpellier University and its faculty of pharmacy.

For Marketing:

- IAE Aix-Marseille Graduate School of Management

For Commercial partnerships:

- Ekkibio (France), Racine (France), Andean Naturals (USA), University of Juliaca (Peru).

For the Start-up creation:

- The Agro Valo Méditerranée incubator (Montpellier SupAgro, INRAE and INRAE Transfert) is dedicated to the development of innovative business projects in the agronomy, agri-food and environment sectors.

The business model is found in commercializing license to quinoa importers and distributors by large region. (30% of the resources)

Technical assistance will be delivered in addition on the process for accompanying the use of quinoa gluten-free flour in their services. (10% of the resources)

A labeling innovation will be developed jointly considering environmental and social responsibility. Accompanying and guarantying the sourcing will be key for the success of the model for environmental considerations. (60% of the resources)