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Genetic study may make ancient Inca's quinoa a grain of the future

FILE PHOTO - A seller shows Quinoa to a photographer at her stand at a market in Lima's Surquillo district in Peru on February 25, 2015. REUTERS/ Mariana Bazo/File Photo

Quinoa, the sacred "mother grain" of the ancient Inca civilization suppressed by Spanish conquistadors, could become an increasingly important food source in the future thanks to genetic secrets revealed in a new study.

Scientists on Wednesday said they have mapped the genome of quinoa and identified a gene that could be manipulated to get rid of the grain's natural bitter taste and pave the way for more widespread commercial use.

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