**Abstract**

Pseudo-cereals are non-grass, wild plants whose seeds are used in the same manner as cereals, but are underutilized due to the dominance of conventional cereal crops. Pseudo-cereals have varied adaptability. They are climatically more resilient and nutritionally richer than major cereal crops. They are enriched with essential amino acids and their protein content is either similar or greater than that of cereals. They contain adequate amounts of dietary fibers that help improve lipid metabolism. They also contain saponins, polyphenols, betalains, flavonoids, antioxidants, vitamins, and other important phytochemical compounds that help detoxify ROS and cope up with the diseases. Interest in the research of pseudo-cereals is growing among the research community due to its extraordinary nutritional and phytochemical profile and its potential in the development of gluten-free products. It can serve as an alternative food source against staple cereal crops under harsh environmental conditions and if cultivated sustainably, can resolve hunger issues in many countries. Pseudo-cereals form an integral part of the biodiversity due to its widespread usage by the tribals. Wild plants of many angiosperm families are used by tribal communities, but in this review, we will only focus on members of Amaranthceae and Chenopodiaceae families.

**Keywords:** Amaranthus, quinoa, Amaranthceae, Chenopodiaceae, pseudo-cereals, nutritional profile, gluten-free products

#### **1. Introduction**

Majority of the global population in present time is relying heavily on few major cereal crops such as wheat, rice, and maize for nutrition. These handful of crops are sustaining more than 50% of world population. Though they are rich in starch and are consumed for energy needs, they lack some essential micronutrients which has led to hidden hunger among the people. This micronutrient deficiency has affected nearly 2 billion people worldwide and has aroused serious health concerns [1]. This is not only affecting the human health but it also has adverse consequences on other plants such as pseudo-cereals whose biodiversity is declining due to the dominance of conventional cereal crops and for the same reason, they have remained underutilized till date. However, scientists have now turned their attention to the underutilized crops and they are showing considerable interest in pseudo-cereals because of their high resiliency towards the abiotic stress, nutritional, and phytochemical

potential and their usage in gluten-free products. In near future, as the human population is predicted to rise, we will need to adopt an interdisciplinary approach to combat food crisis by not only improving the quality of available food by enrichment or biofortification but also by exploring other potential plants which are already enriched with required micronutrients which is an important aspect of food security [2].

Pseudo-cereals that we are going to consider in this review are dicotyledonous plants belonging to families Amaranthceae and Chenopodiaceae for example: *Amaranthus viridis*, *Amaranthus spinosus*, *Achyranthes aspera*, *Celosia aregentea*, and *Chenopodium album*. We will discuss their origin and distribution in brief, their characteristics and how they differ from cereals, their nutritional profiles, and processing techniques that makes them more palatable.
