Detecting Quinoa Flour Using FT-NIR Application Note (014557_01)
Quinoa production has been increasing rapidly in the past few years as more people worldwide have begun to incorporate the highly
nutritional grain into their diets.1 Among other health benefits, including high levels of fibre and protein, quinoa and quinoa flour can provide gluten-free alternatives to usual wheat-containing products.2
Quinoa flour is a high-value product and, therefore, susceptible to adulteration with lower-value flours, allowing unscrupulous suppliers to increase their profits. More worryingly, suppliers may use gluten-containing flours for adulteration whilst still marketing the product as suitable for consumers with gluten intolerances. Fourier Transform Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-NIR) provides a quick and easy method to determine the identity and concentration of any adulterants present in quinoa flour.
Detecting Quinoa Flour Using FT-NIR Application Note (014557_01)
Experimental
NIR spectra of pure quinoa flour and five possible adulterant flours were collected on a PerkinElmer Spectrum Two NTM FT-NIR spectrometer. A 100 mm Petri dish was filled with the sample, placed on a Near Infrared Reflectance Module (NIRM) and scanned using the parameters shown in Table 1. A sample spinner was used to allow a larger surface area to be scanned, resulting in more representative and reproducible sampling. 15 spectra of pure quinoa flour (five replicates from three different commercially available brands) and one spectrum of each adulterant (buckwheat flour, corn flour, rice flour, soya flour and white flour) were collected.
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