The aim of this study was to develop a glutenfree formulation of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.)-based cookies using experimental design of mixture to optimize a ternary mixture of quinoa flour, quinoa flakes and corn starch for parameters of colour, specific volume and hardness. Nutritional and sensory aspects of the optimized formulation were also assessed. Corn starch had a positive effect on the lightness of the cookies, but increased amounts of quinoa flour and quinoa flakes in the mixture resulted in darker product. Quinoa flour showed a negative effect on the specific volume, producing less bulky cookies, and quinoa flour and quinoa flakes had a positive synergistic effect on the hardness of the cookies. According the results and considering the desirability profile for colour, hardness and specific volume in gluten-free cookies, the optimized formulation contains 30 % quinoa flour, 25 % quinoa flakes and 45 % corn starch. The quinoa-based cookie obtained was characterized as a product rich in dietary fibre, a good source of essential amino acids, linolenic acid and minerals, with good sensory acceptability. These findings reports for the first time the application of quinoa processed as flour and flakes in mixture with corn starch as an alternative ingredient for formulations of gluten-free cookies-type biscuits.
The pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) is a fruit with a characteristic flavor, that has a variant coloration from orange to intense purple. It is referred to as a source of several nutrients, which give them interesting nutritional and biological properties, often able to act as protective factors for various pathologies. However, the variation of these nutrients depends on the variety of the plant, conditions of production and maturation. Thus, the present study aimed to characterize the nutritional composition and the content of pigments present in the pulps and seeds of pitanga in the purple and red varieties, grown in the region of the Paraíba swamp. The fruits were selected at maturity stages 5 for red and 6 for purple, cleaned and dried by lyophilization, with the seeds being separated from the pulps for physical-chemical analysis. According to the results obtained, it was observed that among the pulps, there was a significant difference regarding the parameters of moisture, water activity and protein and carbohydrate content, the highest values of which were for the red variety. In the seeds,
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