The “tremendous grain” quinoa has the potential to make a brilliant cookie, in accordance with analysis by Washington State College.
In a examine revealed within the Journal of Meals Science, WSU researchers present that two forms of quinoa, bred particularly to develop in Washington state, had nice performance as a possible high-fiber, high-protein additive flour for industrial cookies. This implies when baked, the cookies had good “spreadability” and texture.
Style exams are nonetheless underway, however preliminary outcomes present that individuals most popular sugar cookies with 10% of the quinoa flour over a conventional all-wheat flour cookie.
“It is the Holy Grail for meals scientists: we need to develop one thing that individuals like to eat and need to go purchase and purchase once more — and now we’re including some fiber in with out them even realizing it,” mentioned Girish Ganjyal, a WSU meals scientist and the examine’s corresponding creator.
Originating in South America, quinoa has a bunch of dietary advantages: it’s excessive in fiber, protein, nutritional vitamins and minerals. Additionally it is gluten-free. Whereas the grain is fashionable with well being lovers, it has but to take off with many mainstream shoppers. WSU researchers are working to alter that.
Whereas no official counts can be found, WSU plant breeder Kevin Murphy estimates that quinoa is grown on greater than 5,000 acres within the Pacific Northwest presently, and extra farmers have an interest.
Murphy, a co-author on this examine, has been breeding quinoa strains particularly to develop effectively within the Pacific Northwest local weather whereas sustaining, and even enhancing, the crop’s dietary advantages. He has been collaborating with Ganjyal since 2014 on enhancing methods to deliver these crops to shoppers’ tables.
The present examine additionally recognized one kind of quinoa that works finest for “pre-cooked grain salad” — a extra acquainted use for quinoa — in addition to figuring out the quinoa varieties that labored effectively in baking cookies.
Meals science research like this, mixed with area trials that reveal the crops’ agronomic traits, will assist WSU researchers determine which quinoa breeding strains to launch for growers’ use in 2023.
In flip, the data will assist farmers determine which kind of quinoa they could plant, already realizing how they might promote the crop they harvest, Ganjyal mentioned.
On this examine, researchers checked out ten completely different quinoa breeding strains and examined them as a flour in cookies at 25% as much as 100% quinoa. Lots of the breeding strains held up effectively on the decrease ranges however the cookies tended to crumble as they approached 100% quinoa flour.
The preliminary outcomes from the style exams additionally present that utilizing as much as 25% quinoa flour tended to have higher outcomes. The researchers purposely selected sugar cookies for the style take a look at as a result of they’re plain versus chocolate chip cookies which could masks any taste from the quinoa. For the sugar cookie, somewhat quinoa might need a bonus, mentioned Elizabeth Nalbandian, the examine’s first creator and a Ph.D. pupil in Ganjyal’s lab.
“I feel at 10%, quinoa added a kind of nutty taste that individuals actually preferred,” she mentioned, noting the testers preferred it much more than the management complete flour cookie.
The quinoa appreciation tended to wane after about 30% substitution, Nalbandian mentioned, in all probability as a result of the feel began turning into grittier. Nonetheless, she sees potential for quinoa flour significantly within the gluten-free market as a lot of these baked merchandise may be low in dietary content material.
The researchers will proceed working to develop and take a look at quinoa meals merchandise, and Ganjyal famous that Nalbandian is especially effectively suited to this work as a result of she has expertise within the culinary arts and holds an undergraduate diploma in hospitality and enterprise administration in addition to in meals science.
“This can be a chef’s artwork in addition to a science,” he mentioned.