A sound fundamental knowledge of the seed and flour characteristics of pseudocereals is crucial to be able to promote their industrial use. As a first step towards a more efficient and successful application, this study focuses on the seed characteristics, chemical composition and technological properties of commercially available pseudocereals (amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat). The levels of starch, fat, dietary fiber and minerals were comparable for amaranth and quinoa seeds but the protein content is higher in amaranth. Due to the high amount of starch, buckwheat seeds are characterised by the lowest amounts of fat, dietary fibre and minerals. Its protein content ranged between that of amaranth and quinoa. Buckwheat seeds were larger but easily reduced in size. The lipid fraction of the pseudocereals mostly contained unsaturated fatty acids, with the highest prevalence of linoleic and oleic acid. Palmitic acid is the most abundant unsaturated fatty acid. Moreover, high levels of P, K and Mg were found in these pseudocereals. The highest phenolic content was found in buckwheat. Amaranth WMF (wholemeal flour) had a high swelling power but low shear stability. The pasting profile strongly varied among the different quinoa WMFs. Buckwheat WMFs showed high shear stability and rate of retrogradation.

The cultivation of quinoa has gained increasing interest in Europe. Different European varieties exist, but more research is required to understand the individual variety characteristics for end-use applications. The objective of this study is to evaluate the agronomic performance of 13 quinoa varieties under North-West European field conditions during three growing seasons (2017–2019). Furthermore, seeds were qualitatively characterized based on characteristics and composition. Yield differed among varieties and growing seasons (0.47–3.42 ton/ha), with lower yields obtained for late-maturing varieties. The saponin content varied from sweet to very bitter. The seeds contained high protein levels (12.1–18.8 g/100 g dry matter), whereas varieties had a similar essential amino acid profile. The main fatty acids were linoleic (53.0–59.8%), α-linolenic (4.7–8.2%), and oleic acid (15.5–22.7%), indicating a high degree of unsaturation. The clustering of varieties/years revealed subtle differences between growing seasons but also reflected the significant interaction effects of variety and year. Most varieties perform well under North-West European conditions, and their nutritional content is well within the values previously described for other cultivation areas. However, optimal yield and quality traits were not combined in one variety, illustrating the importance of breeding for adapted quinoa varieties.

Quinoa cultivation has gained increasing interest in Europe but more research on the characteristics of European varieties is required to help determine their end use applications. A comparative study was performed on 13 quinoa varieties cultivated under North-West European field conditions during three consecutive growing seasons (2017–2019). The seeds were milled to wholemeal flour (WMF) to evaluate the physicochemical properties. The WMFs of 2019 were characterized by the highest water absorption capacity (1.46–2.06 g/g), while the water absorption index (WAI) between 55 °C (2.04–3.80 g/g) and 85 °C (4.04–7.82 g/g) increased over the years. The WMFs of 2018 had the highest WAI at 95 °C (6.48–9.48 g/g). The pasting profiles were characterized by a high viscosity peak (1696–2560 mPa.s) and strong breakdown (−78–643 mPa.s) in 2017. The peak viscosity decreased in 2018 and 2019 (823–2492 mPa.s), while breakdown (−364–555 mPa.s) and setback (19–1037 mPa.s) increased. Jessie, Summer Red, Rouge Marie, Vikinga, and Zwarte WMFs were characterized by low WAIs and high shear resistance. Bastille WMF developed high viscosities and, along with Faro WMF, showed a high breakdown. The wide variation in physicochemical properties suggests that the potential food applications of WMFs depend on the variety and growing conditions.

Samples Q1 and Q3 showed a significant decrease in flour protein content with every increase in tempered moisture: this was observed for both tempering times (Fig. 1b). Protein content of Q2 flours was highest if tempered at the 13 % moisture level. At higher moisture levels (15 and 17 %) the effect of tempered moisture was time-dependent for sample Q2: no difference in protein content was observed after short tempering (8 h), while long tempering (20 h) resulted in a higher protein content for moisture level 15 %.