Preparation of Fresh Noodles with Chia and Amaranth

Abstract

Current nutritional recommendations lead to reformulate traditional products, such as fresh noodles, in order to improve the nutrients, they provide. The objective of this work was to determine the variation of the nutritional profile of fresh noodles by partially replacing wheat flour with chia and amaranth flour. For this purpose, wheat flour was partially substituted with 15% chia flour and 11% amaranth flour, respecting the proportions of the rest of the ingredients (called FS) and fresh noodles with unsubstituted wheat flour, which is taken as the standard (F). Once prepared, protein, total fat, ash, moisture, and fiber were determined by official analytical techniques, including carbohydrates by difference, energy value by calculation, and fatty acid profile by gas chromatography. From the analytical results, it appears that protein increased from 7.76 g% (F) to 10.87 g% (FS), carbohydrates decreased from 51.68 g% (F) to 39.87 g% (FS), and fiber increased from 3.19 g% (F) to 8.68 g% (FS). Total fats increased from 13.18 g% (F) to 18.68 g% (FS), of which omega-3 fatty acids increased from 0.67 g% (F) to 4.03 g% (FS). Energy value varies from 356 kcal/100 g (F) to 369 kcal/100 g (F). With the partial substitution of wheat flour with chia and amaranth, it was possible to improve the nutritional profile of the noodles, making them a feasible option for both industrial and home use.