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Evaluation of amaranth enriched bread for dietary regimes

Abstract:

Amaranth is a plant rich in protein, minerals and fiber that could be used in food processing. We evaluated physical carateristics and chemical composition of bread with 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20% of Amaranthus dubius Mart. ex Thell and thereafter two breads were selected for biological evaluation. Thirty Sprague Dawley rats were divided into five groups: bread diet with 0% amaranth (DPA0), bread diet with 10% amaranth (DPA10), bread diet with 20% of amaranth (DPA20) casein diet (DC) and aproteic diet. A randomized design was used univariate and the multiple comparison Tukey test was applied, with six replicates and three subsamplings. The highest content of protein, crude fiber and minerals was found in breads with 10 and 20% amaranth, showing statistical differences (P < 0.05) between them and the other breads. Feed intake, feed efficiency and weight gain showed no statistical differences (P>0.05) between diets with amaranth. DPA10 digestibility was higher, without statistical difference (P>0.05) with DC. The bread with 10% amaranth presented the best physical characteristics and proximal composition, especially proteins, lipids and mineral, and high digestibility. The use of amaranth flour up to 10% is an alternative to improve the nutritional value of the bread and prepare functional foods for fiber intake.