Development of a Grain-and-Legume-Based Snack with Amaranth, Quinoa and Chia Seeds ^†

Abstract

Globally, 1 in 2 people want to consume more plant-based foods, so developing nutritionally balanced foods for this area is a response to a growing need of the population. The objective was to develop snack alternatives with amaranth, quinoa and chia seeds, supplemented with protein. For this purpose, three mixtures were prepared, the first of rice flour with lentil flour (M1), another of rice flour with pea flour (M2) and another of wheat flour with chickpea flour (M3). The same amount of amaranth, quinoa and chia seeds were added to all three. The same proportion of the rest of the ingredients was used, varying only the seasonings. The cooking time was 10 min at 180 °C in all cases. The preparations were carried out in triplicate and analyses in duplicate. Once prepared, protein, total fat, ash, moisture and fiber were determined using official analytical techniques, carbohydrates using difference, energy value using calculations and fatty acid profile using gas chromatography. For statistical analysis, the Tukey test was applied. The highest protein value was 15.84 ± 0.34 g% (M1). The highest lipid value was 21.44 ± 0.13 g% (M3), providing omega 9, 3 and 6 fatty acids and, to a much lesser extent, saturated fatty acid. All options have a good contribution of dietary fiber: 7.39 ± 0.14 g% (M1); 7.71 ± 0.09 g% (M2) and 7.55 ± 0.23 g% (M3). The acceptability was above 94% in all cases. It was possible to formulate healthy snacks suitable for vegetarians.

1. Introduction

Consumption habits are changing worldwide, with one in two people preferring to consume plant-based proteins. These changes are due to respect for animal suffering, religious beliefs, care for the environment or fashion. In Argentina, vegetarians account for 12% of the population, while worldwide they represent 7%. Flexitarians consume animal proteins sporadically and represent 24% of the world’s population [1].

Within the category of vegetarians, there are different subgroups, depending on the type of food they eat [1]:

Vegetarian (strict): They do not consume any type of meat or animal by-products, such as dairy products, eggs and honey.

Vegan: Like the previous description, they do not consume any food of animal origin, but they do not accept any product that is the result of animal suffering, such as wool, leather, silk, etc., nor do they accept products that are tested on animals.

Api-ovo-lacto-vegetarian: In addition to plant-based foods, they include honey, eggs and dairy products.

Api-lacto-vegetarian: Includes vegetables, dairy and honey (excluding eggs).

Api-vegetarian: Includes vegetables and honey (excludes eggs and dairy).

Api-ovo-vegetarian: Includes vegetables, egg and honey (excludes eggs and dairy).

Ovo-vegetarian: Includes plant-based foods and eggs.

Lacto-vegetarian: Includes plant-based foods and dairy.

Raw vegetarian “raw vegan”: Consume everything raw, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouted legumes, cereals, sprouts, etc.

Raw vegan “raw vegan”: Same as above, but with an added ethical commitment. The critical nutrients for strict vegans are: high quality proteins, calcium, zinc and vitamin B12 [2,3]. Therefore, developing nutritionally balanced foods for this population segment, and for the rest of the consumers who, without being vegetarians, want to reduce their intake of meat proteins, is a response to a growing need in the population.

Amaranth seed was legislated in article 660 of the Argentinean Food Code (C.A.A.) which states the following: “The name Amaranth means the healthy, clean and well preserved seeds of the following species of this pseudo-cereal: Amaranthus cruentus L., Amaranthus hipochondriacus L., Amaranthus caudatus L. and Amaranthus mantegazzianus Passer. The protein content should not be less than 12.5%, the moisture content should not be more than 12.0%, the ash content should be less than 3.5%, the starch content should not be less than 60%. Amaranth grains, corresponding to the above mentioned species, shall be white, pale amber, yellow or very pale brown, opaque or translucent” [4].

Chia seeds were legislated in Article 918 (C.A.A.), which reads as follows: “The name chia seeds means healthy, clean and well-preserved seeds of Salvia hispanica L. They shall comply with the following specifications: chia seeds, which correspond to the species mentioned, shall be dark brown in colour, very small in size and of good fluidity. The aroma shall be mild, pleasant and characteristic of the seed. Determination of humidity, at 100–105 °C: maximum 7%. Fat: minimum 33%. They must not contain more than 0.5% of damaged seeds. They shall be free from live insects. They shall contain not more than 1% foreign matter, of which not more than 0.25% shall be mineral material and not more than 0.10% dead insects, fragments or remains of insects and/or other impurities of animal origin” [4].

Quinoa seed was legislated in Article 682 (CAA), which states the following: "The name quinoa or quinoa means sound, clean and well-preserved seeds of the genus Chenopodium quinoa Willd. They shall comply with the following specifications: Total protein on dry basis: minimum 10%. Moisture: maximum 13.5%. Ash on dry basis: maximum 3.5%. The quinoa or quinoa seeds to be industrialized must be subjected to a process that ensures the elimination of saponins and the bioavailability of amino acids. For seeds marketed in the absence of the customer, the legend “Wash until removal of foam. Not suitable for raw consumption, cook before consumption” [4].

The food called "snack biscuits" is legislated in article 760 quarter CAA [4].

For all the above, the objective was to develop snack alternatives with amaranth, quinoa and chia seeds, supplemented with protein.

2. Materials and Methods

In a first stage, the optimal ratio of the mixture of rice flour with lentil flour (M1), rice flour with pea flour (M2) and wheat flour with chickpea flour (M3) was calculated. This was carried out by chemical computation in order to obtain the best biological value of the mixtures, which are also technologically suitable. Once this calculation had been carried out, the snack biscuits were prepared.

2.1. Ways of Preparation

At the Applied Nutrition Research Laboratory of Juan Agustín Maza University, Mendoza, Argentina, the snack biscuits were prepared on a pilot scale. For this purpose, the mixtures were prepared in triplicate. The ingredients of the rice–lentil mixture (M1), rice–pea mixture (M2) and wheat with chickpea (M3) can be seen in

Table 1. Ingredients of the three mixtures.

Rice–Lentil Mixture (M1)	Rice–Pea Mixture (M2)	Wheat with Chickpea (M3)
33.86% rice flour	33.50% rice flour	26.47% wheat flour
18.14% lentil flour	18.29% pea flour	26.47% chickpea flour
11% extra virgin olive oil	11.07% extra virgin olive oil	10.61% extra virgin olive oil
2.86% amaranth seeds	2.86% amaranth seeds	2.86% amaranth seeds
2.86% quinoa seeds	2.86% quinoa seeds	2.86% quinoa seeds
1.43% chia seeds	1.43% chia seeds	1.43% chia seeds
0.36% white pepper	0.29% oregano	0.35% garlic
0.36% salt	0.29% salt	0.32% dried parsley
0.29% sugar	0.29% garlic	0.25% salt
0.29% paprika	0.29% dried parsley	0.25% sugar
28.57% water	0.29% sugar	0.20% turmeric
	28.57% water	27.93% water

. In all cases, water was used to integrate the ingredients. In the three variants, all components were integrated into a homogeneous dough, which was rolled out, cut into different shapes in order to identify them, and then cooked. The three mixtures were cooked for 10 min at 180 °C, then cooled and packaged at room temperature in 40 micron polypropylene bags. Centesimal composition analyses were performed in duplicate on the packaged snacks.

2.2. Laboratory Analysis

The analyzes were carried out at time zero, at 30 days and at 60 days of packaging. The following methods were used to determine the nutritional composition of the snacks M1, M2 and M3 [5]:

Humidity: Method of AOAC 950.46 B. Indirect method by drying in an oven at 100–105 °C, until constant weight is achieved.

Total fat: Direct method by extraction with ethyl ether (crude fat), Soxhlet gravimetric method (A.O.A.C. 960.39, 1990) was used.

Fibers: Acid alkaline attack.

Crude protein: Kjeldahl method, (A.O.A.C. 928.08, 1990), determining nitrogen, using 6.25 as a protein conversion factor.

Ashes: Direct Method (A.O.A.C. 923.03, 1990): by incineration in muffle (at 500 ± 10 °C), until constant ash weight. Sodium by flame photometry on ash dilution.

Carbohydrates: determined by difference, using the following formula:

100 − (weight in grams [protein + fat + water + ash + fibers]), in 100 g of food.

Energy value: by calculation

(kcal) = (protein × 4) + (carbohydrates × 4) + (fat × 9). The conversion is 2000 kcal = 8400 kJ.

Fatty Acid profile: using gas chromatography according to the official methods of the IOC (International Olive Oil Council), ISO 5508-1990.

Sensory analysis

For the sensory evaluation, an acceptability test was conducted with 100 untrained judges, using a 5-point scale ranging from “I like it very much” to “I dislike it very much”. The evaluators observed the color, smell, texture and appearance of the snacks.

2.3. Statistical Analysis

Only descriptive statistics reporting means and standard deviation were performed, because it is not the intention to compare the three snacks with each other, given that they are three different options. Only the Tukey test for moisture content was applied.

3. Results

For the three snack variants, nutrients are reported on a dry basis. The results at time zero have been placed in

Table 2. Nutritional profile of the three snacks.

	Rice–Lentil Mixture (M1)	Rice–Pea Mixture (M2)	Wheat with Chickpea (M3)
Humidity [g]	23.74 ± 0.76	22.88 ± 0.88	24.88 ± 0.56
Proteins [g]	15.84 ± 0.34	14.72 ± 0.35	15.05 ± 0.24
Total fat [g]	18.66 ± 0.13	20.11 ± 0.17	21.44 ± 0.13
Saturated fat [g]	3.01 ± 0.02	3.15 ± 0.05	3.21 ± 0.07
Polyunsaturated fat [g]	3.21 ± 0.03	3.90 ± 0.04	4.64 ± 0.03
Monounsaturated fat [g]	12.43 ± 0.08	13.16 ± 0.09	13.60 ± 0.08
Carbohydrates without fiber [g]	55.89 ± 0.17	55.30 ± 0.25	53.90 ± 0.13
Total sugars [g]	4.90 ± 0.04	7.28 ± 0.04	7.51 ± 0.05
Added sugars [g]	0.43 ± 0.01	0.43 ± 0.01	0.43 ± 0.01
Fibers [g]	7.39 ± 0.14	7.71 ± 0.09	7.55 ± 0.23
Ashes [g]	2.22 ± 0.03	2.16 ± 0.06	2.05 ± 0.07
Sodium [mg]	219 ± 3	182 ± 4	203 ± 2
Energy value [kcal/kJ]	347/1457 kJ	356/1493	352/1479

.

3.1. Moisture

M3 had a higher moisture content, perhaps because it was formulated with wheat, whose starch has a higher percentage of amylopectin. When applying the T Student test for independent samples, a statistically significant difference can be observed in: moisture p = 0.003.

3.2. Proteins

The highest protein contribution was presented by M1, due to the protein contribution of lentils.

3.3. Lipid Profile

M3 has the highest fat content. In the three mixtures, the content of monounsaturated fatty acids provided by the extra virgin olive oil is very important.

3.4. Carbohydrate Profile, without Considering Fiber

In carbohydrates, there are statistically significant differences between M3 and the other two mixtures. M1 has the lowest contribution of total sugars, due to the ingredients used. The added sugars are the same in the three mixtures since the same proportion of sugar was used in all cases.

3.5. Fiber Content

All options have a good contribution of dietary fiber.

3.6. Energy Value

The energy value of snacks are lower than those on the market whose energy intake varies from 430 kcal to 550 kcal per 100 g.

3.7. Sensory Evaluation

The acceptability was above 94% in all cases. Dividing the responses into “I like it very much” and “I like it”, the results are shown in Figure 1.

4. Discussion

By mixing cereals and pulses, the biological value of the three snacks increased, and the addition of seeds also increased the total protein content. Both wheat and rice have low biological value proteins, but, when these were supplemented with legumes, such as lentils, peas and chickpeas, they are transformed into proteins of high biological value, ideal for the target group of vegetarians [6,7].

An analysis of the lipid content shows a high content of omega-9 fatty acids from extra virgin olive oil, which is beneficial to health, in addition to the increase in polyunsaturated fatty acids provided by the seeds [8].

The decrease in total carbohydrate content, with a consequent increase in fiber, provided by the seeds, contributes to increased satiety [9,10].

The sodium content can be reduced by not adding salt at the time of preparation and replacing it with seasonings.

5. Conclusions

We were able to formulate three snack biscuits, intended especially for vegetarians, but that can also be consumed by the entire population.

They have an excellent protein content of high biological value, resulting from the combination of cereals and legumes. Rice and wheat are deficient in lysine, which is provided by legumes, thus increasing their biological value. The addition of ancestral seeds improves the nutritional profile.

This increases the supply of healthier foods and enhances the value of ancestral seeds.