Lactic Fermentation as a Strategy to Improve the Nutritional and Functional Values of Pseudocereals

ROLLÁN, GRACIELA C.; GEREZ, CARLA L.; LEBLANC, JEAN G.

Frontiers in Nutrition

Frontiers in Nutrition

Año: 2019 vol. 6

One of the greatest challenges is to reduce malnutrition worldwide while promotingsustainable agricultural and food systems. This is a daunting task due to the constantgrowth of the population and the increasing demands by consumers for functional foodswith higher nutritional values. Cereal grains are the most important dietary energy sourceglobally; wheat, rice, and maize currently provide about half of the dietary energy sourceof humankind. In addition, the increase of celiac patients worldwide has motivatedthe development of gluten-free foods using alternative flour types to wheat such asrice, corn, cassava, soybean, and pseudocereals (amaranth, quinoa, and buckwheat).Amaranth and quinoa have been cultivated since ancient times and were two of themajorcrops of the Pre-Colombian cultures in Latin- America. In recent years and due to theirwell-known high nutritional value and potential health benefits, these pseudocereals havereceived much attention as ideal candidates for gluten-free products. The importance ofexploiting these grains for the elaboration of healthy and nutritious foods has forced foodproducers to develop novel adequate strategies for their processing. Fermentation isone of the most antique and economical methods of producing and preserving foodsand can be easily employed for cereal processing. The nutritional and functional qualityof pseudocereals can be improved by fermentation using Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB).This review provides an overview on pseudocereal fermentation by LAB emphasizing thecapacity of these bacteria to decrease antinutritional factors such as phytic acid, increasethe functional value of phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds, and producenutritional ingredients such as B-group vitamins. The numerous beneficial effects oflactic fermentation of pseudocereals can be exploited to design novel and healthierfoods or grain ingredients destined to general population and especially to patients withcoeliac disease.