Lactic Fermentation as a Strategy to Improve the Nutritional and Functional Values of Pseudocereals

One of the greatest challenges is to reduce malnutrition worldwide while promoting sustainable agricultural and food systems. This is a daunting task due to the constant growth of the population and the increasing demands by consumers for functional foods with higher nutritional values. Cereal grains are the most important dietary energy source globally; wheat, rice, and maize currently provide about half of the dietary energy source of humankind. In addition, the increase of celiac patients worldwide has motivated the development of gluten-free foods using alternative flour types to wheat such as rice, corn, cassava, soybean, and pseudocereals (amaranth, quinoa, and buckwheat). Amaranth and quinoa have been cultivated since ancient times and were two of the major crops of the Pre-Colombian cultures in Latin- America. In recent years and due to their well-known high nutritional value and potential health benefits, these pseudocereals have received much attention as ideal candidates for gluten-free products. The importance of exploiting these grains for the elaboration of healthy and nutritious foods has forced food producers to develop novel adequate strategies for their processing. Fermentation is one of the most antique and economical methods of producing and preserving foods and can be easily employed for cereal processing. The nutritional and functional quality of pseudocereals can be improved by fermentation using Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB). This review provides an overview on pseudocereal fermentation by LAB emphasizing the capacity of these bacteria to decrease antinutritional factors such as phytic acid, increase the functional value of phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds, and produce nutritional ingredients such as B-group vitamins. The numerous beneficial effects of lactic fermentation of pseudocereals can be exploited to design novel and healthier foods or grain ingredients destined to general population and especially to patients with coeliac disease.