Pasting and rheological properties of quinoa‐oat composites

Quinoa (Chenopodium, quinoa) flour, known for its essential amino acids, was composited with oat products containing β‐glucan known for lowering blood cholesterol and preventing heart disease. Quinoa–oat composites were developed and evaluated for their pasting and rheological properties by a Rapid Visco Analyzer (RVA) and an advanced rheometer. All quinoa–oat composites showed increased pasting viscosities with increases in oat contents. The elastic modulus G′ and viscous modulus G″ for all quinoa–oat composites were higher than quinoa, suggesting that oat products increased the viscous properties of composites. Shear‐thinning properties were observed for all the composites. Improved water‐holding capacities (WHC) were found for the composites containing quinoa with nutrim or oat bran concentrate compared to quinoa alone. All the WHC of quinoa–oat composites were increased with the higher amounts of oat components. These quinoa–oat composites have improved nutritional value and texture qualities suitable for functional food applications.