Pseudocereals: Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.)

Currently, there is much bigger interest in the use of pseudocereals for developing nutritious and sustainable food products. Amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa are the three major pseudocereals in terms of world production. In particular, quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) crop an Andian seed-producing plant, with great agronomic potential, because of its exceptional tolerance to hostile environments. In fact, it maintains productivity on rather poor soils and under conditions of water shortage, high salinity, high altitude, thin cold air, hot sun, and sub-freezing temperatures. Nowadays, quinoa cultivation has crossed continental boundaries to reach Europe, United States and Canada, as well as in Kenya, the Himalayas and India. Despite the presence of anti-nutritional factors such as saponins, protease inhibitors, and phytic acid, quinoa seeds and flour represent a valuable ingredient for the Food Industry because of their high protein content with all essential amino acids, absence of gluten, a high content of dietary fiber, important minerals (e.g., calcium and iron), and of natural antioxidants (e.g., phenolic compounds and flavonoids) as well as its functional and technological properties. This chapter covers the composition and properties of quinoa seeds, with focus on the challenges to design gluten free quinoa-based bakery products.