The content of certain minerals and trace elements in products made from amaranth and buckwheat flour for children with gluten intolerance
Authors:   Scientific Research Institute of Food-concentrate Industry and Special Food Technology – Branch Federal Research Center of Nutrition and Biotechnology and Food safety, Izmailovo, Moscow region, Russian Federation, Urubkov S.A. , Khovanskaya S.S. ,   Scientific Research Institute of Food-concentrate Industry and Special Food Technology – Branch Federal Research Center of Nutrition and Biotechnology and Food safety, Izmailovo, Moscow region, Russian Federation, Smirnov S.O. ,   Scientific Research Institute of Food-concentrate Industry and Special Food Technology – Branch Federal Research Center of Nutrition and Biotechnology and Food safety, Izmailovo, Moscow region, Russian Federation
Published: January 2021

The objective. The purpose of this work was to determine the content of macro- and microelements in buckwheat and amaranth flour, as well as products (pancakes) obtained from flour mixtures of these cultures. Materials and methods. The content of minerals (Ca, Mg, K, Na, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Se, Co, Pb, Ni, Mo) in buckwheat and amaranth flour, as well as products obtained from flour mixtures of these cultures, was studied. To determine the mineral content in the samples, the method of atomic absorption spectroscopy. Results. As a result of the conducted research, experimental material was obtained on the content of macro-and microelements in gluten-free products. A significant part of the minerals of the flour samples under consideration is potassium – 371 mg/100 g for amaranth flour and 405 mg/100 g for buckwheat flour. High magnesium content was found in buckwheat flour 239.9 mg/100 g and 202.5 mg/100 g in amaranth flour. Low calcium content was observed in both samples: 69.0 mg/kg in amaranth and 62.0 mg/kg in buckwheat flour. Amaranth flour is superior to buckwheat flour in the content of trace elements such as copper (319 mcg/100 g), zinc (2495 mcg/100 g) and selenium (515.4 mcg/100 g). Buckwheat flour contains more potassium (405.9 mg/100 g), magnesium (239.9 mg/100 g), and copper (334 mcg/100 g) than amaranth flour. The data obtained show that amaranth and buckwheat flour can be classified as good sources of selenium with a content of 515.4 mcg/100 g and 404.0 mcg/100 g, respectively. The content of mineral substances in pancakes made from mixtures of amaranth flour and native buckwheat flour decreased within 3–23% of their content in the original flour. The calculation of the recommended daily requirement showed that the use of a portion of pancakes (45g) by school-age children will meet their daily needs on average: in magnesium by 35.3%, in potassium by 9.5%, in iron by 26.4%, copper by 19.6%, and selenium by 27.7%. Conclusion. Research has shown that amaranth flour and non-steamed buckwheat flour are rich in potassium, magnesium, iron, copper and selenium. The samples under consideration exceed rice and corn in the content of all the microelements under consideration, with the exception of sodium. Keywords: amaranth, balanced diet, children of preschool and school age, celiac disease, gluten-free products, grain-based products for baby food