Abstract
The effects of processing on the content of amino acids and fatty acids and the release of glucose from quinoa grains were evaluated in this paper. The processes included dehulling, boiling, extrusion, heating under pressure, and baking (infrared heating). The retention rate (AR) of essential amino acids and fatty acids of dehulled and boiled quinoa was 100%. The oil content of the extruded quinoa samples of two varieties was 47.71% and 39.75% lower than the corresponding raw quinoa samples. Baking and heating under pressure had different effects on the essential amino acid content, fatty acid content, and hydrolysis rate of quinoa starch. The results indicated the different cooking methods affect the essential amino acid content, fatty acid composition, release of glucose, and nutritional quality of quinoa, and moderate processing should be adopted to fully utilize the essential amino acids, fatty acids, and starch in quinoa.