Role of Endogenous and Exogenous Phenolic Compounds on the Formation of Acrylamide and Fluorescent Advanced Glycation End Products in Heated Quinoa and Cañihua Flours

Aguilar-Galvez A.; García-Ríos D.; Quispe T.; Ames C.; Figueroa-Merma A.; Chirinos R.; Pedreschi F.; Pedreschi R.; Campos D. · Foods (2026) · DOI: 10.3390/foods15112010

Resumen

In this study, the formation of Maillard reaction products (MRPs), namely acrylamide (AA) and fluorescent advanced glycation end products (f-AGEs), was evaluated in four quinoa and four cañihua flours subjected to heating at 185 °C. The influence of endogenous phenolic compounds and the addition of tara hydrolyzed gallotannins on MRPs formation was investigated. Varieties with higher quercetin and rutin contents showed lower AA and f-AGEs formation. AA formation kinetics differed between species, increasing with heating time in quinoa, whilst decreasing after 20 min in cañihua. Maximum AA levels ranged from 18.6 to 87.0 μg/kg, remaining below the EU benchmark value for non-wheat-based bread (300 μg/kg). Compared with the Asn–Glc control system, flour systems reduced AA formation by approximately 18.7 to 60.3%, while tara hydrolyzed extract further enhanced inhibition, reaching reductions above 72.7 to 96.2%. Similar trends were observed for f-AGEs, with mitigation levels up to 54.1 to 77.4%. Cañihua varieties showed higher AA inhibition capacity than quinoa, likely associated with differences in phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity. These findings demonstrate the potential of Andean pseudocereals and tara-derived polyphenols as natural strategies to mitigate thermally induced contaminants in processed foods.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina