Variation of the Nutritional Composition of Quinoa According to the Processing Used

Abstract

Quinoa is consumed as a seed, flour, expanded, sprout (germinated) and activated (hydrated). The objective of this work was to determine the nutritional composition of the different preparations. The same batch of quinoa seeds was processed as flour, expanded, hydrated and germinated. It showed that there is a statistically significant difference of nutrients between all groups. For proteins, it varies from 12.78 ± 0.02 g/100 g in whole seed to 5.25 ± 0.01 g/100 g in the hydrated seed. In total fats, it varies from 7.80 ± 0.02 g/100 g in flour to 0.72 ± 0.01 g/100 g in sprouts. For fiber, the germinated quinoa provides the highest content (23.50 ± 0.01 g/100 g), whereas the hydrated quinoa the lowest content (8.71 ± 0.02 g/100 g). This shows how different preparations influence the nutritional contribution of quinoa. With this information, one can recommend different types of preparations depending on the type of nutrient that is wanted for consumption.