Nutrient composition of amaranth flour incorporated ready mix

In Indian diet, amaranth grain is easily incorporated in the traditional cuisine and provides a high protein, high fibre alternative to wheat. In combination with other grains, amaranth is processed to make cold and hot breakfast cereals, bread, crackers and pancakes (Dixit. et al, 2011). This study involves determination of nutrients in amaranth flour incorporated to different cereal flours (Red rice and Wheat) at 15, 30 and 60 percent levels. The ready mix could be used in the preparation of breakfast items like puttu, idiyapam and adai.The raw materials were subjected to pre-treatment, formulated as ready mix and subjected to nutrient analysis.The research findings concluded that the combined use of wheat flour and amaranth flour, Red rice flour and amaranth flour in developing instant mix such as Puttu/kozhukattai, Adai and Idiyappam at different studied levels resulted with greater protein, energy, fat, fiber, iron and calcium content than simply prepared ready mix with wheat and red rice flour. The best quality attributes were observed in the ready mix made from 60 percent amaranth flour incorporation. Thus partial substitution of wheat and red rice flour by amaranth flour improve the nutritional quality of the ready mix products.In this regard, production of value-added food product from under-utilized raw material is the way to reward the valuable nutrients to the society by changing the amaranth into value added food products.