Pasting and rheological properties of quinoa-oat composites

Quinoa (Chenopodium, quinoa) flour, known for its essential amino acids, was composited with oat products containing -glucan known for lowering blood cholesterol and preventing heart disease. Quinoa-oat composites were developed and evaluated for their pasting and rheological properties by a Rapid Visco Analyzer (RVA) and an advanced rheometer. All quinoa-oat composites showed increased pasting viscosities with increases in oat contents. The elastic modulus G and viscous modulus G for all quinoa-oat composites were higher than quinoa, suggesting that oat products increased the viscous properties of composites. Shear-thinning properties were observed for all the composites. Improved water-holding capacities (WHC) were found for the composites containing quinoa with nutrim or oat bran concentrate compared to quinoa alone. All the WHC of quinoa-oat composites were increased with the higher amounts of oat components. These quinoa-oat composites have improved nutritional value and texture qualities suitable for functional food applications.