Quinoa as an on-trend ingredient
07 Jun 2018 | Q Foods
Peru’s Q Foods has launched a range of new products made creating quinoa as an ingredient. “The main idea behind the brand is to make quinoa part of the routine. We have products such as breakfast cereals, cookies, chips and energy bars. It is about making quinoa achieve its true potential as a high protein and healthy Andean grain,” says Samir Abugattas at Q Foods.
This is Rob Wires at the PLMA in Amsterdam, and I'm here with Samir Abukatta from Q Foods, and the company is highlighting a whole range of, products based on, the use of quino as an ingredient.
Samir, maybe you can tell me a bit about Quino and, and the method that you, you used to, to source this and what some of the products are that you're launching here at the show.
First of all, thank you very much for the interview.
It's a pleasure.
It's our first time here in PLMA Amsterdam.
We're a new company founded in Peru.
22 years and a half years ago, the main idea behind the brand is to make quinoa part of the day to day to day routine.
We have products such as breakfast cereals, cookies, chips, energy bars, and bars.
Our main objective is to make quinoa.
Achieve its true potential as a protein-rich food, as a healthy food, and also as a, as an ancient, ancient and traditional, Andean Andean grain.
All of our products contain on average 70% of quinoa, which is, which is a big difference between the rest of, of quinoa brands that we can find in the market that usually only have 5 to 10% of quinoa.
Where, where are some of the best applications for quinoa then?
How, how, and what are some of the challenges involved in, in using it?
The first challenge involves in using quinoa is, that way, we have to prepare the grain for, for being suitable for processing it for, cookies and for finished products and, and what and why?
Because quinoa has a, a natural, natural like chemical that is called, saponin.
And the saponi treatment is very delicate because we, the removal has to be total.
If, if the removal isn't total, it leaves a very hard and, and, and rough taste that doesn't allow quinoa to, to, to, to become a, a main ingredient for products.
Now quino has been very trendy, I guess, particularly when, outside of outside of Latin America, particularly in the US and the UK, I guess.
Is there still a lot of room for growth there because it's been pretty established, I think, as an alternative kind of source of protein in recent years.
It's been years, I think there's still a lot.
A lot of space for quinoa to grow.
It's been established as a as a in its grain form or maybe in in in salads or as as a rice or with rice, but I think that the the new path for quinoa is this one like try to to make it.
A product that that is suitable for every hour of the day, for every week of for every day of the week, and not only like for, for, for, for lunch or, or dinner, you know, also like a snack like a la and that sort of thing, and I guess it's really gluten-free and high protein elements that are really being marketed from this regard.
Exactly, you know, gluten-free is very unsuitable.
It's high in protein, high in amino acids.
It contains healthy fats that the heart needs.
And it's one of the few plants that contain all all nine essential amino acids.
Even there's a study of, of NASA, the Space, the Space, Institute of the United States that says that, only quinoa in the, in the plant, plant, plant world is the only one that can provide the, the essential amino acids that human, the human body needs.
Samir, thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
