RESEARCH ON THE BAKING POTENTIAL OF AMARANTH WHOLEGRAIN FLOUR
Amaranth is regarded as one of the promising raw ingredient that enriches various foods, including bread, pastry and flour confectionery. Traditionally there are grain amaranth varieties with light coats. The authors consider the prospects for using wholegrain flour from the Valentina amaranth variety with a dark-colored seed coat in bakery. Model mixtures of amaranth and medium rye flour were made. The authors applied the standardized methodology for determining individual nutrients and baking properties of flour and model mixtures. The study focused on important (in terms of nutritional value) components of flour and model mixtures (protein, calcium, phosphorus content), as well as basic baking properties of wholegrain flour from amaranth and model mixtures with medium rye flour that determine the main consumer properties of bakery products (autolytic activity and ash content). The effect of amaranth flour on ash content of model mixtures was determined. The obtained results show that it is feasible to use the wholegrain flour from the Valentina amaranth variety in the technology of baking from rye flour and mixture of rye and wheat flour in order to improve their functional properties. In terms of nutritional value of bread the optimal ratio of amaranth and rye flour is defined as 20:80 (by weight). Bakery products (100 g) will satisfy the daily requirement of calcium by 19.8% at P:Ca ratio equal to 1.48:1. Wholegrain amaranth flour in the proposed dosage range has no effect on the autolytic activity and, accordingly, the condition of bread crumb. Increasing the dosage of wholegrain amaranth flour over 25% is impractical due to a significant increase in ash content. Due to high acidity of amaranth flour its use is feasible in the technology of baking on acidifiers of biological or organic origin.