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IntroductionQuinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a crop used by pre-Columbian cultures in South America for centuries. There is a long history of safe use of the grain in South America. Cultivated and collected Chenopodium species have been part of the Tiahuanacotan and Incan cultures. Quinoa has fulfilled various roles in these ancestral cultures, in addition to its role in human and animal nutrition, quinoa had a sacred importance (BoNIFACIo, 2003). Archaeological studies have shown that quinoa was already known in 5000 B.C. (TApIA et al., 1979). For the Incas, quinoa was a very important crop together with corn and potato. Quinoa is currently grown for its grain in the South American countries of peru, Bolivia, ecuador, Argentina, Chile and Colombia. The plant is cold and drought tolerant and it can be cultivated in high altitudes in the mountain areas. Quinoa can be grown in a wide range of pH of the soil, including acidic soils, and it can tolerate poor and rough environments. This crop grows perfectly at high altitudes, where it is not possible to grow maize, and it matures in 4 to 7 months, depending on the variety or ecotype (CARMeN, 1984). The genetic variability of quinoa is great, with cultivars of quinoa being adapted to growth from sea level to an altitude of 4,000 m, from 40° S to 2° N latitude, and from the cold highland climate to subtropical conditions. This makes it possible to select, adapt, and breed cultivars for a wide range of environmental conditions, providing basic nutrition in demanding environmental conditions .Quinoa is usually referred to as a pseudo-cereal since it is not a member of the Gramineae family, but it produces seeds that can be milled in to flour and used as a cereal crop. It is an annual dicotyledonous plant usually standing 0.5-2.0 m high ResumoQuatro variedades de quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), cultura de origem andina, foram avaliados como fonte de fibra dietética, de compostos fenólicos e atividade antioxidante. As quinoas foram processadas por extrusão e os produtos finais foram analisados para determinar a fibra alimentar, o total de polifenóis, atividade de ligar os radicais livres e digestibilidade in vitro do amido e proteínas. Não houve diferença significativa no conteúdo de fibra dietética total entre as variedades de quinoa. em todos os casos, o teor de fibra alimentar insolúvel e total diminuiu durante o processo de extrusão. Ao mesmo tempo, o teor de fibra alimentar solúvel teve um incremento. o teor de compostos fenólicos totais e a atividade de ligar os radicais livres foram aumentados durante o processo de extrusão, no caso das quatro variedades. Houve diferenças significativas entre o conteúdo total de polifenóis por variedades. A digestibilidade proteica in vitro das variedades de quinoa ficou entre 76,3 e 80,5%, e a digestibilidade in vitro do amido situou-se entre 65,1 e 68,7%. Nosso estudo demonstra que a quinoa pode ser considerada como uma boa fonte de fibra dietética, polifenóis e outros compostos antioxidantes e que o processo de extrusão...

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Quinoa is a crop that originated from the Andes. It has high nutritional value, outstanding agro‐ecological adaptability, and low water requirements. Quinoa is an excellent crop alternative to help overcome food shortages, and it can also have a role in the prevention of developed world lifestyle diseases, such as type‐2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, etc. In order to expand the traditional uses of quinoa and to provide new, healthier and more nutritious food products, a fermented quinoa‐based beverage was developed. Two quinoa varieties (Rosada de Huancayo and Pasankalla) were studied. The fermentation process, viscosity, acidity, and metabolic activity during the preparation and storage of the drink were monitored, as well as the preliminary organoleptic acceptability of the product. The drink had viable and stable microbiota during the storage time and the fermentation proved to be mostly homolactic. Both quinoa varieties were suitable as base for fermented products; Pasankalla, however, has the advantage due to higher protein content, lower saponin concentration, and lower loss of viscosity during the fermentation process. These results suggest that the differences between quinoa varieties may have substantial effects on food processes and on the properties of final products. This is a factor that should be taken into account when planning novel products based on this grain.

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Cereals provide a good source of dietary fibre and other important compounds with nutritional potential, such as phenolic compounds, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. Although native Andean cereals are known to have high nutritional value, their minor components have not been studied thoroughly. In this study, two varieties of a native Andean crop, kañiwa (Chenopodium pallidicaule), were investigated as sources of dietary fibre and specific antioxidant compounds. Two products, an extrudate and bran, were also prepared and their functional properties and bioactive compounds were determined. Both varieties were rich in total dietary fibre and lignin, and the phenolic components analyzed had high antioxidant activity. The extrudates had good functional properties, such as degree of gelatinization, sectional expansion index and water solubility index; the bran was high in bioactive compounds, such as total phenolics. In conclusion, kañiwa may offer an alternative to traditional cereals as a health-promoting food ingredient.

Taking into account the high content of minerals in Andean grains, the potential contribution of these minerals would not differ considerably from that of wheat flour. Further studies are required to research the effect of extrusion on mineral availability in Andean grains.