Effects of quinoa and amaranth on zinc, magnesium and calcium content in beer wort

Pseudocereals such as quinoa and amaranth can be used as partial replacements for malt in the production of new beers. Quinoa and amaranth are of interest due to their high levels of nutrients and micronutrients, including minerals which can significantly improve the performance of brewing yeast and the fermentation rate. In this study, we investigated whether the use of quinoa or amaranth as partial replacements for malt affected the concentration of ions such as zinc and magnesium in beer wort. The use of amaranth, and in particular quinoa, increased the content of both zinc and magnesium ions substantially, even when only 10% of the barley malt was replaced. With 10% quinoa, Zn2+ and Mg2+ content increased by 41% and 49%, respectively, while the ratio of Mg2+ to Ca2+ rose from 1.4:1 to 1.9:1. Use of unmalted quinoa and amaranth appears a good way of enriching wort with essential metal ions.