Abstract
Gluten-free sugar cookies were made from amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus) and navy bean flours of different ratios. The physical properties of flour blends, dough, and cookies were evaluated. This study found that navy bean and its blends with amaranth had greater water holding capacity (WHC) than that of wheat flour. The increased WHC was observed as the amount of navy bean flours increased in blends. The amaranth flour had the highest water soluble index (WSI) and pasting viscosities. The WSI, pasting viscosities and rheological elastic properties of composites were improved by amaranth flour. Differences were also found in geometrical and textural properties of the doughs and cookies. The cookies made from flour blends have lower width and spread factors; however, they had higher thickness and volume resulting in higher yield compared to wheat flour. Overall, the cookies made by amaranth, navy bean, and their blends were rated “acceptable” in color, flavor, texture, and overall acceptability in the sensory study. The flavorings of vanilla, cinnamon, and almond extracts improved sensory scores of cookies made from blends, making them indistinguishable from cookies using wheat flour. This study suggested that the amaranth-navy bean blends could be good gluten-free candidates for health-promoting food products.
Highlights
As a crop, Amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus) has been consumed by people from different cultures for about 8,000 years
This study found that navy bean and its blends with amaranth had greater water holding capacity (WHC) than that of wheat flour
The WHC increased as the amounts of navy bean flour in amaranth–navy bean blends increased
Summary
Amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus) has been consumed by people from different cultures for about 8,000 years. Amaranth grains comprise of thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, folate, and, in particular, vitamin E. The vitamin E amount in amaranth grains is similar to that in olive oil (USDA Nutrient Database, 2017). Amaranth has similar dietary minerals of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and manganese to other grains such as wheat and oats (USDA Nutrient Database, 2017). But has about thirty percent more proteins than cereals of rice, sorghum and rye (Macvean & Pöll, 1997; USDA Nutrient Database, 2017). Amaranth has rich nutrient contents with gluten-free quality compared to other grains (Gallagher et al, 2004). The interests in ancient grain amaranth have been revived since the 1970s due to its nutrition and gluten-free palatability
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