Physicochemical, rheological, molecular, thermal and sensory evaluation of newly developed complementary infant (6–24 months old) foods prepared with quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) flour

The aim of the current work was to evaluate the physicochemical, rheological, molecular, thermal and sensory properties of complementary food (CF) formulations prepared with quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) flour (QF). It was observed that QF addition significantly affected the physicochemical and rheological properties of CF formulations, resulting in higher protein and crude fiber, but lower total sugar contents and increased storage (G′) and loss (G″) modulus values. The glass transition temperature decreased due to QF addition. The FTIR spectra revealed the presence of aromatic amino acids derived from QF. GC, GC–MS and GC-O analyses revealed the presence of 50 aroma and 23 aroma-active compounds, among which aldehydes, alcohols and ketones were the most prevalent group of compounds. The formulation with 8% QF received the highest sensory scores. QF could be used to improve the physicochemical, rheological, thermal and sensory properties of CF products.