What is amaranth flour, characteristics, industrial and home production. Calorie content, composition, benefits and harms to the human body. Food and non-food use.
Amaranth flour is a food product made from seeds or cake of the plant of the same name after oil production. Color - light, milky, with a caramel shade; the texture is loose, the size of individual grains is 60-300 microns. The smell is sweetish; the taste is nutty, pleasant, in its raw state it resembles American granola (a mixture of flattened grains of various cereals with nut crumbs, baked with honey). The raw materials are collected from a plant, which, in addition to the main botanical term, is called aksamitnik, shiritsa, cockscombs, velvet, cat's tail.
How is amaranth flour made?
Converted headers and combines are used for harvesting. They wait for the stems to dry out and acquire a whitish color, and then cut off the heads at a height of 30 cm above ground level. They are dried and threshed in devices resembling a centrifuge. To remove leaves and household dust, blowing or washing is carried out, with further drying. The production of amaranth flour largely depends on the equipment of the farm.
For grinding, a special mill with a built-in grain cleaning and grinding unit is used. The device is an automatic machine, consisting of several bunkers, where grain is poured, and then intermediate raw materials are automatically transferred from one process to another. Productivity ranges from 500 to 1500 kg / h including preliminary processes.
Delicious and healthy dishes with amaranth flour are made on the basis of fat-free raw materials. First, the seeds are pressed into oil using cold pressing. The starting product is not treated with any reagents. The mill hopper is supplied with cake, from which partially defatted grinding is obtained.
How to make amaranth flour at home:
- The heads of the ripe seeds are cut off and laid out to dry in one layer, on racks, in a well-ventilated dry room. If you do not plan to cook a large amount of flour, you can dry a few "panicles" in a convection oven at a temperature of 30 ° C.
- The seeds are exfoliated between the palms and sifted several times through a sieve with large meshes to separate the grains (they are slightly larger in size than varietal poppy).
- To dry a large batch, use an oven, and a small batch, use a frying pan. By stirring amaranth in a dry hot frying pan, you can simultaneously get rid of excess fat. To do this, briefly fry once, then wash the dishes, heat them again and repeat the heat treatment.
- Use a coffee grinder or food processor to grind. To achieve a more uniform structure, the grains are sieved several times and the coarse particles are ground again to a powder consistency.
Another recipe for making amaranth flour at home: the dried raw materials are laid out in one layer between paper towels, rolled with force with a rolling pin. The oil is partially separated. Then they are dried in the oven or calcined 1-2 times in a frying pan and only then they are crushed.
You can buy amaranth flour in large supermarkets. Cost for 200 g - from 165 rubles. in Russia, in Ukraine - from 16 UAH. for the same amount. If offered cheaper, you should refuse. Inexpensive products contain residues of chemicals - unscrupulous manufacturers, to reduce the cost of production, purchase cake as a raw material, which remains after obtaining oil by the extraction method. Food use of such a product is unacceptable.
Composition and calorie content of amaranth flour
In the photo amaranth flour
Even after partial defatting, the energy value of the product is quite high.
Calorie content of amaranth flour - 344 kcal per 100 g, of which
- Proteins - 9.5 g;
- Fat - 3.9 g;
- Carbohydrates - 67.8 g;
- Dietary fiber - 1.1 g.
The permissible moisture content is 11%.
Vitamins per 100 g
- Beta Carotene - 0.001 mg;
- Vitamin B1, thiamine - 0.116 mg;
- Vitamin B2, riboflavin - 0.2 mg;
- Vitamin B4, choline - 69.8 mg;
- Vitamin B5, pantothenic acid - 1.457 mg;
- Vitamin B6, pyridoxine - 0.591 mg;
- Vitamin B9, folate - 82 mcg;
- Vitamin C, ascorbic acid - 4.2 mg;
- Vitamin E, alpha tocopherol - 1.19 mg;
- Beta Tocopherol - 0.96 mg;
- Gamma Tocopherol - 0.19 mg;
- Delta Tocopherol - 0.69 mg;
- Vitamin PP - 0.923 mg;
- Betaine - 67.6 mg
Macronutrients per 100 g
- Potassium, K - 508 mg;
- Calcium, Ca - 159 mg;
- Magnesium, Mg - 248 mg;
- Sodium, Na - 4 mg;
- Phosphorus, P - 557 mg.
Microelements per 100 g
- Iron, Fe - 7.61 mg;
- Manganese, Mn - 3.333 mg;
- Copper, Cu - 525 μg;
- Selenium, Se - 18.7 μg;
- Zinc, Zn - 2.87 mg.
One of the properties of amaranth flour is to renew the body and stimulate collagen production. Not only all forms of vitamin E are responsible for this function, but also a rare substance - squalene. Its direct action is to slow down the aging process. Squalene is 8 times more squalene in the grind than in shark liver!
The predominant digestible carbohydrates in amaranth flour are starch and dextrins. Small amounts of mono- and disaccharides, sucrose, maltose and fructose.
Amaranth flour contains 10 types of essential amino acids with a predominance of arginine and leucine, as well as 8 nonessential ones - most of all aspartic and glutamic acid, glycine, and serine.
Do not be afraid of weight gain - separately grinding is rarely used, and only for health purposes. The addition to the dough changes its properties, makes the batch more airy and fluffy, voluminous, which means that the total calorie content of the dish is reduced.
The benefits of amaranth flour
Weight loss is difficult for people prone to obesity. The introduction of grinding of the seeds of amygdala in a low-calorie diet will help to normalize weight. Subcutaneous fat will be burned evenly, appetite will decrease, toxins accumulated in the body will be excreted naturally. It should be noted that due to the stimulation of collagen production, the skin will not sag. In addition, the frequency of cellulite formation is reduced.
But the benefits of amaranth flour are not limited to fat burning properties. When regularly added to dishes, the product
- Activates metabolic processes at the cellular level.
- Dissolves cholesterol deposited on the walls of blood vessels.
- Stabilizes blood pressure, suppresses arousal.
- It has an antioxidant effect, suppresses the production of atypical cells in the organs of the abdominal cavity and intestines.
- Normalizes blood sugar levels, which allows limited use of amaranth flour in diabetes.
- Suppresses the activity of pathogenic fungi and bacteria that have invaded the intestines from the outside or through the bloodstream.
- It prevents the formation of keloids, accelerates the healing of postoperative scars and wounds.
- It has a rejuvenating effect.
- Prevents constipation, relieves colitis, peptic ulcer and gastritis of various forms.
- Reduces the frequency of angina attacks.
- Suppresses the development of varicose veins and its development into thrombophlebitis.
Note! Amaranth flour is allowed to be used for gluten intolerance.
The addition of amaranth flour to baked goods during pregnancy helps to cope with increased anxiety, prevents the development of pathologies during the formation of the neural tube and central nervous system in the fetus, helps to get enough sleep and stabilizes hormones. This property can be used after pregnancy to recover faster. During lactation, the product increases production and has a beneficial effect on the quality of breast milk, strengthens the baby's immune system.
Amaranth flour recipes
Grinding of the seeds of the squid is used for baking bakery products - to improve the plasticity of the batch, enrich the taste and useful properties. Flour is used for making breading, thickening cream soups, sauces and desserts. When using the product in its pure form, it is recommended to bake it in the oven at 110 ° C for at least 7-10 minutes.
Amaranth flour recipes:
- Popcorn … Grease a preheated frying pan with coconut oil, and then spread the grind over it with a spoon (it is better to use it yourself, not very fine), stirring constantly. The grains will first begin to stick together and then burst. The dried particles are transferred from the pan into a deep bowl, allowed to cool and mixed with nut flour and honey.
- Pancakes … Knead the batter using 2 types of flour, wheat and amaranth, 300 g each, water, how much it takes, a little salt, 2 tbsp. l. honey, 50 g steamed raisins, a little baking powder. The batter is poured into a hot frying pan greased with vegetable oil with a spoon and fried on both sides.
- Cutlets … Mashed potatoes are mixed with fried onions, fresh green peas puree and grated carrots. For thickening, grind from the seeds of the squid is used. Cutlets are formed, doused in flour as in breading, fried in a pan greased with sunflower oil.
- Sauce for meat or fish … Flour is fried in a pan, in butter until golden brown, pour in water - 1 glass per 50 g, boil until a creamy consistency is obtained. Salted to taste, you can add spices or garlic, and replace the water with milk.
- Vegetarian noodles … The dough is kneaded from 2 eggs and 2 glasses of amaranth flour, water is poured in to make it soft, not sticking to the hands. Roll the batch into a layer, cut into strips, dry at room temperature. Store in a hermetically sealed container.
You can experiment endlessly with amaranth flour, adding it not only to dishes, but also to drinks:
- Apple cocktail for rejuvenation … In one glass of self-prepared juice, mix 2 tbsp. l. grind, beat with a blender, sprinkle with cinnamon. Ice is added to the glass before serving.
- Smoothies to increase potency … The bowl of the blender is filled with 4 large tomatoes after blanching, without skin, 6 leaves of shirin, rye kvass, 250 ml, 0.25 tsp. ground black pepper and 1 tbsp. amaranth flour. Beat until smooth. Strain before use.
- Warming drink … Amaranth flour, 60 g, 1 cinnamon stick is mixed in 1 liter of warm milk. Bring to a boil over low heat, add 2 tsp. vanilla. As soon as it begins to thicken, remove from heat and sweeten - preferably with cane sugar.
See also recipes with buckwheat flour.
Interesting facts about amaranth flour
The small homeland of the askamite is South America. Together with the conquistadors, the plant spread throughout the world, settling in regions with a warm climate. Even Indian healers knew about the healing properties of the plant: for the preparation of medicines, they used all its parts - seeds, leaves, rhizomes and stems.
Chinese scientists were the first to discover the anti-aging effect of amaranth and the ability to accelerate wound healing. They began to prepare "potions for rejuvenation" with the seeds of the plant. By the way, it was in the East that the food quality of the grinding was appreciated.
The UN Commission has recognized how promising is the cultivation of a new crop. Rave reviews of amaranth flour can be heard from vegetarians, people who need to control their weight, athletes and nutritionists.
The introduction of grind from the seeds of the squid into homemade masks helps to solve the main problems with the skin - eliminate inflammation, improve color, tone up and get rid of fine wrinkles. For oily skin, flour is diluted with green tea to a thick pasty consistency, a little cucumber or lemon juice is added, for a dry bulk ingredient, diluted with milk or cream. Apply on the face with a thick layer, leave for 15-20 minutes. First washed off with warm water, and then rinsed with cold.
The most common cultivars are: Ultra, Lera, Kharkiv, Helios, Sam, Aztec. The plant is easy to grow in its own area. There is no need to be afraid that later it will not be possible to get rid of the "weed". Cultivar is an annual herb and requires special care and feeding.
The introduction of amaranth flour into the diet on an ongoing basis will help save money. Vitamins and dietary supplements are expensive, and you have to spend a lot of money every year to keep your body in good shape. Amaranth will be able to replace drugs that fill the need for nutrients. In addition, you can be sure of the naturalness of the healing ingredient.
Watch a video about amaranth flour:
