Amaranth Seeds: A Promising Functional Ingredient for Gastronomy– A Review

Abstract

| Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) is a nutritious gluten-free pseudocereal that has been consumed for years in South and Central America. Amaranth plants are well adaptable in different climatic conditions, and easy to grow. Amaranth grains have several beneficial features such as high-quality protein, high content of fiber and micronutrients such as iron and calcium. Furthermore, amaranth seeds are a good source of phytochemical compounds with health-promoting effects such as squalene, phytosterols, and polyphenols. Amaranth seeds have gained popularity in recent years due to their perceived health benefits and dubbed as superfood. The food industry is formulating new products adding amaranth to cereal-based food and glutenfree products such as bread, muffins, cookies, pasta, breakfast, beer, and beef. This comprehensive review is focused on the important aspects of amaranth such as the taxonomic and origin, proximal composition, phytochemical composition, and amaranth as food ingredient added to common foods.