Properties of Amaranth Flour With Functional Oat Products

George E Inglett,Sean Liu,Diejun Chen

doi:10.5539/jfr.v3n6p1

Abstract

<p>Amaranth flour (<em>Salvia hispanica</em> L.), gluten free and rich in essential amino acids, was composited with oat functional products containing ?-glucan known for lowering blood cholesterol and preventing heart disease. The objective of this research was to study the pasting and rheological properties of amaranth flour interacted with functional oat products using Rapid Visco Analyzer followed by an advanced rheometer. The initial peak viscosities of amaranth-Nutrim (oat bran hydrocolloids) and amaranth-OBC (oat bran concentrate) composites were increased with higher Nutrim and OBC contents. The final pasting viscosities of amaranth-OBC composites were increased significantly with higher OBC contents while amaranth-Nutrim composites showed colloidal gel properties similar to Nutrim. On other hand, amaranth interacted with oat bran concentrate displayed the highest rheological solid properties as elastic gels. Shear thinning properties were observed for all the interactions between amaranth flour and functional oat products. The improved water holding capacities were found for interacted compositions with Nutrim and oat bran concentrate compared to amaranth flour. These amaranth flour and oat products compositions demonstrated improved nutritional value and texture qualities for functional food applications.</p>

Highlights

Amaranth (Salvia hispanica L.) is a plant that has been cultivated for about 8,000 years
Amaranth flour (Salvia hispanica L.), gluten free and rich in essential amino acids, was composited with oat functional products containing β-glucan known for lowering blood cholesterol and preventing heart disease
Cooked amaranth grains contain a source of thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, and folate, and dietary minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and manganese that are comparable to common grains such as wheat germ, oats and others (USDA Nutrient Database, 2014)

Summary

Introduction

Amaranth (Salvia hispanica L.) is a plant that has been cultivated for about 8,000 years. Cooked amaranth grains contain a source of thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, and folate, and dietary minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and manganese that are comparable to common grains such as wheat germ, oats and others (USDA Nutrient Database, 2014). Amaranth flour has an unusually rich source of the essential amino acid lysine that is low in other grains (Myers & Putnam, 1998). It contains vitamin E in similar amounts to olive oil (USDA Nutrient Database, 2014). Amaranth has a valuable nutrient content for gluten-free diets compared to buckwheat, corn, millet, wild rice, oats and quinoa (Gallagher et al, 2004). Regular consumption reduces blood pressure and cholesterol levels while improving antioxidant status and some immune parameters (Czerwiński et al, 2004; Martirosyan et al, 2007) via its content of plant stanols and squalene (Alegbejo, 2013)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion