Comparison of functional and physicochemical properties of quinoa (cultivar TTKK) and wheat (cultivar Pishgam) starches

Starch is one of the important plant storage carbohydrates that has many applications as a raw material in different industries especially the food industry. In this study physicochemical properties of starches extracted from quinoa TTKK and wheat, Pishgam were investigated. Percentage of amylose, X-ray diffraction, swelling power, solubility, water, and oil absorptions, and thermal, pasting, and textural properties were measured. SEM images illustrated that wheat starch granules size were about 8-10 μm and quinoa starch granules size were about 2-5 μm. Results showed that the percentage of quinoa starch amylose (9.19 ± 0.83) was lower than wheat starch (19.57 ± 0.66) but crystallinity percentage was higher in quinoa starch(p<0.05). As well as water absorption. Regarding thermal properties, all the parameters were higher than wheat starch. Measurement of starch pasting properties demonstrated that quinoa starch had higher pasting temperature and lower peak, final, break down, and set back viscosity(p<0.05). Studies on textural properties showed that hardness, gumminess, and springiness were significantly lower in quinoa starch compared to wheat starch. Therefore, unique starch properties of quinoa make it possible to use it in various bakery products which a lot of mechanical forces are applied to produce. as well as frozen products.