Quinoa is considered a real superfood: the pseudocereal contains twice as much protein as rice and also provides more fiber with the same amount. It fills you up faster and can help you lose weight. The grain also provides iron, folic acid, magnesium, zinc and manganese. 100 grams alone cover 25 percent of the daily iron requirement, 50 percent magnesium and over 100 percent manganese.

But not only the nutritional values ​​are convincing: ÖKO-TEST subjected the grains to a test and examined a total of 19 products. Specifically, the grains were examined for mineral oil components, pesticide residues and other critical or harmful substances.

Quinoa at ÖKO-TEST: Most brands are convincing

15 of the 19 packs of quinoa are certified organic products. The result is very positive: 14 perform with the best rating of “very good”. Two more are “good” because the mineral oil components are slightly higher here. Due to increased values, another product scores “satisfactory”.

Two packages of quinoa fail the test. Bohlsener Mühle Vollkorn Quinoa, Bioland scored only “inadequate” (grade 5) due to the greatly increased values ​​of the mineral oil components. Although Euryza’s Oryza ancient grain quinoa measured only slightly higher mineral oil components, the laboratory measured the pesticide fluopicolide above the limit value. According to the supplier, no fluopicolide could be detected in two other different batches. Nevertheless, the ÖKO-TEST laboratory results are only rated “unsatisfactory” (grade 6).

Only 2.50 euros: That’s how cheap the test winners are

The price range for a 500 gram pack is quite large for quinoa. While you have to pay less than 2.50 euros for the cheapest pack, the most expensive costs just under 8 euros. The test winners show that the quality does not depend on the price. The 14 products rated “very good” also include numerous inexpensive discounters and private labels.

In the following we list a selection of the cheap test winners, which cost around 2.50 euros:

You can read the detailed test report with all the results at ÖKO-TEST for a fee.

Here’s what you should know about quinoa

Quinoa peel naturally contains saponins; they serve to ward off predators. Healthy people tolerate saponins, but some people are sensitive to the substance. It is therefore always advisable to wash the quinoa before preparation. To do this, you should soak the grains in water for about 30 minutes and then rinse them again. This also washes away the saponins and their bitter taste.

Quinoa can be used in many different ways in the kitchen. Our colleagues from FIT FOR FUN have put together a collection of twelve delicious recipes with quinoa for you.

This article was first published by our colleagues at CHIP.de.