Effect of salt pretreatment and moisture conditioning on the popping quality and nutritional properties of amaranth grains

Amaranth is a nutrient-rich pseudocereal with considerable potential for functional food development; however, limited information is available regarding the influence of edible salt pretreatments and moisture conditioning on its popping performance and nutritional quality. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of sodium chloride (NaCl), calcium chloride (CaCl₂), and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) pretreatments (2% concentration) combined with different moisture levels (10%, 13%, and 16%) on the popping characteristics, nutritional attributes, and functional properties of amaranth grains and flour. Thermal and other pretreatments of amaranth may improve nutrient bioavailability by reducing antinutritional factors. Popping is caused by the grain’s internal water vaporizing quickly at high temperatures, thus creating pressure that stretches and softens the starch matrix, creating a porous structure. The grains were popped on heated pan maintained at 180–200 °C and the resulting products were analysed for popping parameters, nutritional composition and functional properties by standard analyses. NaCl-treated grains conditioned to 13% exhibited the highest popping volume and expansion volume, with values of 0.75 cm 3 /100 grains and 5.75 cm 3 /g, respectively; however, the control sample (without salt pretreatment) exhibited appreciable popping at a 10% moisture level. This study enhances our understanding of how preprocessing enriches the nutritional and functional properties of amaranth, potentially facilitating its use in addressing malnutrition. The highest oxalate level was recorded in the unpopped (295 mg/100 g) and the lowest in the control (114 mg/100 g) sample. The nutritional and functional quality of amaranth was significantly improved, and levels of antinutritional factors were reduced, as a result of the popping. These results indicate that it is possible to enhance the popping efficiency and development of value-added functional food products from amaranth by optimizing salt pretreatment and moisture conditioning. All experimental data were analyzed statistically, and differences among treatments were considered significant at p ≤ 0.05.