Nutritional Properties, bioactive compounds content and rheological analysis of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) seeds flour: Application in Cake

t: Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd, Family: Chenopodiaceae), has been cultivated in the American continent for several thousand years, being one of the main grain crops supplying highly nutritious food for the peoples. The nutritional characteristics and healthy benefits of quinoa, its rusticity, its wide adaptability and its multiple uses, explain the interest in the crop not only in American continent but also worldwide. In the present study, quinoa seeds were milled, sieved to obtain flour by 91% extraction rate. Quinoa seeds flour (QSF) was chemically analyzed and incorporated into cake at two different levels, 10 and 20% as a potential source of nutrients and bioactive compounds as well as enhancement the dough quality. Chemical analysis indicated that the protein, fat, fiber and ash of QSF were recoded 15.77, 6.74, 3.53 and 3.61 g/100 g dry wt, respectively higher than that of wheat flour were 11.10, 1.54, 1.89 and 1.86 (g/100 g dry wt). Also, total phenolic compounds (mg GAE/100 g), flavonoids (mg /100 g) and carotenoids (mg /100 g) in QSF have been reported to be 65.87 , 29.21 and 1.32 which are higher than that in wheat flour (WF) sample 31.09, 10.05 and 0.11, respectively. So, incorporation of cake samples with 10 and 20% of QSF leads to increase in all of those bioactive compounds by highly significantly (p≤0.01) rates. Additionally, significant (P≤0.05) improvements in rheological properties of cake dough including farinograph and extensograph parameters were reported by QSF incorporation. The QSF incorporated cake up to 20% doesn't affect on its organoleptic evaluation parameters. In conclusion, the results suggest that quinoa is promoted as an extremely healthy food. The effects of the dietary bioactive compounds such as rich in QSF and QSF incorporated cake are of a great current interest due to their antioxidative, anti-inflmmatory, antibacterial and anticarciongenic activities.