NUTRITIONAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF BREAD MADE WITH QUINOA FLAKES (CHENOPODIUM QUINOA WILLD)

Quinoa has attracted worldwide attention because it is a good source of vitamins, antioxidants and high-quality protein. Quinoa can be added to food products for the purpose of improving their nutritional composition. In this work, we determined the physicochemical characteristics of quinoa flakes as well as breads made with flour containing 0, 10, 15 and 20% of this pseudocereal, using the sponge method. Tocopherol and protein levels were higher in the bread with 20% quinoa. However, other nutrients in the nutritional composition did not vary in proportionality when compared with the bread without quinoa; the level of soluble fiber decreased, and there were changes in the amino acid profile. In this case, the process was relevant under those variations and consequently the rheological properties were altered from the control bread to the breads with quinoa. The color, texture and specific volume varied with the amount of flakes added; the inner part became darker (from L* 77.14 bread without quinoa to 75.22 bread with 20% quinoa) with a tendency to be less reddish (from a* 1.84 to 1.47) and more yellowish (b* from 16.51 to 19.56), and the texture changed during shelf life, becoming less soft, while the specific volume decreased (from 5.20mL/g control bread to 4.06mL/g bread with 20% quinoa). These aspects influenced the sensory analysis, resulting in lower acceptance to chewiness and adhesiveness for bread with 20% quinoa (75 and 74%, respectively) compared to control bread (79 and 78%). The addition of quinoa flakes in the preparation of the bread influenced the nutritional composition, where the amino acid profile was altered and the level of soluble fiber diminished when compared with the bread without quinoa. The color, texture and specific volume increased with the amount of flakes added; the inner part became darker, and the texture changed during shelf life, while the specific volume decreased.