Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) originated in the Andean region of northwestern South America and was domesticated 3,000 to 4,000 years ago for human consumption. It is a pseudocereal with a high nutrient content which is increasingly used in foods such as breads with or without gluten, salads, main courses, desserts and beverages. Quinoa seeds represent a rich source of polyphenol compounds with antioxidant potential, fats, high quality proteins, calcium, magnesium and manganese, good levels of several B vitamins, vitamin E and dietary fiber.
In this study we adapted a classical recipe of bread and added quinoa seeds. We established the optimal quantity of quinoa seeds to be added to the dough which does not have deleterious effects on the quality of the bread. We observed that by increasing the amount of quinoa we also had to increase the amount of water, in order to preserve the quality of bread. By adding up to 16% quinoa seeds (calculated as weight of quinoa divided by weight of flour x 100) the quality of bread didn t change. Adding above 16% quinoa seeds, the quality of bread decreased progressively. At more than 24% quinoa seeds the bread becomes unfit for consumption