Use of amaranth, quinoa and kañiwa in extruded corn-based snacks

Abstract Amaranth ( Amaranthus caudatus ), quinoa ( Chenopodium quinoa ) and kaniwa ( Chenopodium pallidicaule ) are pseudocereals regarded as good gluten-free sources of protein and fiber. A co-rotating twin screw extruder was used to obtain corn-based extrudates containing amaranth/quinoa/kaniwa (20% of solids). Box–Behnken experimental design with three independent variables was used: water content of mass (WCM, 15–19%), screw speed (SS, 200–500 rpm) and temperature of the die (TEM, 150–170 °C). Milled and whole samples were stored in open headspace vials at 11 and 76% relative humidity (RH) for a week before being sealed and stored for 9 weeks in the dark. Hexanal content was determined by using headspace gas chromatography. Extrudates containing amaranth presented the highest sectional expansion index (SEI) ( p p