Techno-functional and sensory effects of precooked quinoa and amaranth flours in Bologna-type mortadella formulated with Pelibuey sheep meat

Abstract This study evaluated the techno-functional, microbiological, and sensory effects of incorporating precooked quinoa ( Chenopodium quinoa ) and amaranth ( Amaranthus spp.) flours as natural fillers in Bologna-type mortadella formulated with Pelibuey sheep meat. A completely randomized 2 × 3 factorial design was used with two flour types and three substitution levels (1.5%, 3.0%, and 4.5%), yielding six treatments plus a wheat-based control. Quinoa flour showed higher protein content (16.46%) and water retention capacity than amaranth flour, whereas amaranth exhibited greater water absorption. Both flours presented homogeneous particle-size distributions (~ 95.5%). The incorporation of Andean pseudocereal flours increased protein content by 8–10% and reduced moisture by 5–7% compared with the wheat control, while maintaining acceptable physicochemical properties. Two-way ANOVA revealed significant effects of flour type on moisture, ash, protein, and fat contents ( p < 0.001), with interaction effects for pH and fat. Microbiological analyses confirmed product safety, with all counts within acceptable limits and absence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes . Sensory evaluation showed significant differences among treatments, with moderate substitution levels, particularly 1.5% amaranth flour, achieving the highest acceptability, whereas 4.5% amaranth showed the lowest consistency and acceptability scores.