Pseudocereals and the posibilities of their application in food technology, General characteristics of Amaranth

Abstract

Amaranth (international name ‘Amaranthus’) is the so-called alternative plant, included into pseudocereals (pseudocereals). The seeds are characterized by a very favourable chemical composition as compared to the traditional bread grains. The dominant chemical component is starch with very small granules. They do not contain gluten proteins and thus they are designated for people suffering from coeliac disease. The protein includes  exogenous amino-acids, which are deficit in traditional crops. Amaranth seeds are one of the richest natural sources of this component used in pharmacy and computer industry. It is a plant with very large, potential possibilities of application in broadly understood food technology. It pertains not only to seeds, but also leaves. The most popular products obtained from amaranth seeds are flour and the so-called ‘popping’, i.e. expanded seeds. It seems that the greatest possibilities of application of amaranth seeds and products obtained from them are in bakery and confectionary industries, although other branches should not be omitted, such as brewing or beer production.