Nutritive value and chemical composition of pseudocereals as gluten-free ingredients

The only treatment available for patients with coeliac disease is a lifelong elimination of food products containing gluten. The gluten-free products currently available in the market are considered of low quality and poor nutritional value. In the present study, the pseudocereals amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat were studied as potential healthy ingredients for improving the nutritional quality of gluten-free breads. The pseudocereal seeds and pseudocereal-containing gluten-free breads were evaluated in terms of their protein, fat, total starch, dietary fibre, ash and mineral content as well as their fatty acid composition. The pseudocereal containing gluten-free breads showed significantly higher levels of protein, fat, fibre and minerals than the control bread. The attributes of these breads conform to the expert's nutritional recommendations for the gluten-free diet and gluten-free foods. These results suggest that the pseudocereals amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat can represent a healthy alternative to frequently used ingredients in gluten-free products.