POTENTIAL USE OF SOME PSEUDOCEREALS IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY

Pseudocereals and cereals are plant materials that have similar final uses as flours for bakery products. However, these plants are different botanically, as pseudocereals they are broadleaf plants, whereas as cereals they are grasses. The use of pseudocereals is of great nutritional interest because of their composition. Besides the high starch content, pseudocereals contain dietary fibre, good quality protein, vitamins, minerals, lipids rich in unsaturated fatty acids and other phytochemicals such as saponins, phytosterols, squalene, fagopyritols and polyphenols. This composition describes their potential as supplements or common cereal replacers. Because their content of gluten is low or there is no content of gluten, pseudocereals can be considered as gluten-free products, which can be incorporated in diets for coeliac disease. The incorporation of these seeds in the diets of coeliac patients should help alleviate the deficit in fibre intake. Their applicability in foods includes bread, biscuits, cakes and pasta which are mostly consumed. The three main species referring to pseudocereals are amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat. The aim of this study is to provide their applications in food products.