Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities of Cañihua (Chenopodium pallidicaule) for Functional Food Development and Sustainable Agriculture: A Bibliometric and Systematic Approach

Cañihua (Chenopodium pallidicaule) is an underutilized Andean pseudocereal of strategic interest for sustainable agriculture in high-altitude, climate-constrained environments, where its tolerance to frost, drought, and saline soils positions it as a potential climate-resilient crop. Despite its high nutritional value and potential for functional food applications, its research landscape remains fragmented and unevenly developed across agronomic, nutritional, and technological dimensions. This study aimed to systematically and bibliometrically analyze the scientific literature on cañihua published between 1995 and 2025. A total of 104 documents indexed in the Scopus database were evaluated following the PRISMA 2020 approach, including analyses of publication trends, geographic distribution, collaboration networks, and thematic structures, together with a qualitative critical appraisal of the included evidence. Results indicate a marked increase in scientific output since 2006, with research predominantly concentrated in food science and technology and limited development in agronomy, clinical nutrition, and socio-economic domains. Thematic analysis reveals a strong focus on bioactive compounds, nutritional composition, and processing technologies, while clinical, socio-economic, and large-scale agricultural studies remain limited. Processing strategies such as germination, malting, and fermentation enhance nutrient bioavailability, reduce antinutritional factors, and improve sensory properties, supporting the incorporation of cañihua into functional and gluten-free foods at levels of up to 25%. Significant gaps persist in clinical validation, agronomic standardization, production scalability, genetic improvement, and integration across research domains. Overall, cañihua shows strong potential to contribute to sustainable Andean agriculture, food security, and functional food innovation, although further interdisciplinary and translational research linking agricultural production with nutritional and technological outcomes is required to realize its full applied potential.