Physicochemical characterization of cereal and starch of Quinoa Chenopodium quinoa

Abstract

Quinoa is an Andean plant of the Chenopodiacea family of the genus Chenopodium; it is the only vegetable food that has all the essential amino acids, trace elements, vitamins and does not contain gluten; it is used in the formulation of foods and soaps. The objective of this research was to physicochemically characterize the quinoa cereal and starch Chenopodium quinoa, to be evaluated as raw material in the manufacture of new products. The cereal and quinoa starch were characterized physicochemically taking into account the parameters of water activity, color, humidity percentages, protein and particle size, according to established norms. In the results it was obtained that the quinoa cereal has low content in the percentage of humidity (6,776 ± 0,072), pH (6,323 ± 0,005), percentage of protein (13,270 ± 0,109), gray-yellowish color and particle size (2 mm); while the quinoa starch had higher moisture content (9,529 ± 0,266) and pH (8,403 ± 0,005), compared to the cereal. The physicochemical characterization of cereal and starch allows generating an alternative use to this plant material.