Extrusion characteristics of ten novel quinoa breeding lines

Ten novel breeding lines of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) suitable to be grown in the Pacific Northwest of the United States were developed and utilized for extrusion processing. Understanding how a particular breeding line performs during food processing and which properties determine its performance can promote the use of quinoa as an ingredient in value-added products, such as extruded snacks. In this study, extrusion characteristics of the whole seed flours of the novel quinoa breeding lines were evaluated using a co-rotating twin-screw extruder at two temperatures (110°C and 125°C), three screw speeds (200, 350, and 500 rpm), and a moisture content of 18% (w.b.). The expansion ratio (ER) ranged from 1.15 to 2.33 and was negatively influenced by the fat content in the flours. Breeding line 11WAQ-104.88 (WAQ10) exhibited the greatest potential for use in direct expanded foods as it had the highest ER for all conditions studied. Strong correlations were found between ER and pasting properties of the flours, proving the usefulness of the pasting test for flour quality evaluation before extrusion processing. The results demonstrate the potential of using quinoa for producing direct expanded food products and highlight the importance of selecting specific breeding lines for desired product characteristics. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study provides the extrusion processing characteristics of 10 new quinoa breeding lines. Based on the information gained, it will be easier for the food industry, including breeders as well as processors, to select the right quinoa variety based on their requirements, and may further help to enhance the use of quinoa.