Dr. Wojciechowicz-Budzisz and quinoa

– Pseudo-cereals, which include quinoa, are very popular, especially with people on a gluten-free diet. The quinoa I have chosen contains protein with an excellent amino acid composition, many macro- and micronutrients, unsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants, dietary fibre, i.e. all the ingredients that affect human health through intestinal health – says Dr. Agata Wojciechowicz-Budzisz, emphasising that another reason for choosing quinoa for her research was that the sourdoughs obtained from it during spontaneous fermentation have a neutral scent, whereas sourdoughs obtained from other pseudo-cereals have an unpleasant smell, e.g. that of smelly socks.

– This is an advantage of quinoa sourdough. A disadvantage of pseudo-cereals is that they contain phytic acid, which we cannot digest, and in addition it 'traps' metal ions of vital elements such as magnesium, zinc, calcium, potassium or iron in the intestines, binding them, which adversely affects the level of mineral salts available in food – explains Dr. Wojciechowicz-Budzisz, adding that phytates are broken down during the fermentation process of dough or sourdough. And she will use malts extracted from quinoa in her fermentation research project.

– Pseudo-cereals are of great interest to consumers, especially those concerned about their diet, but quinoa is also suitable for people with bowel problems. A high fibre content is also beneficial in hypercholesterolaemia, which can lead to metabolic syndrome and, consequently, diabetes and hypertension – says Dr. Agata Wojciechowicz-Budzisz, adding that the Miniatura 6 project will enable the collection of research material, which will be a step in the direction of applying for a grant in the Sonata competition – for further research on the use of sourdoughs from white, red and black quinoa with and without malt for baking wheat, rye and gluten-free bread.