EFFECT OF THREE QUINOA VARIETIES AND EDIBLE FLOWERS ON ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF ALE BEER

Abstract

Fermentation experiments were conducted with a top-fermenting brewing yeast strain and wort enriched with three varieties of quinoa (with white, red and black grain color), as well as edible flowers (marigold and dandelion) to study their influence on the antioxidant properties of ale beer. Plant additives led to a slight increase in pH and a lower alcohol content of the beer. By itself, quinoa did not improve the functional properties of the beverage, but the combination of black quinoa and edible flowers resulted in an increased content of polyphenols in beer; marigold showed a 48.7 % increase in this parameter compared to the control, and dandelion - 51.2 %. The content of flavonoids in beer was not affected by the addition of plant additives to the wort. A slight increase in anthocyanins (0.7 - 4.4 %) was reported for black quinoa beer as well as black quinoa with flowers. A significant increase in antioxidant activity was reported for the variants with flowers (54 % for marigold and 56.6 % for dandelion). The increased antioxidant capacity combined with the reduced alcohol content of the beers with black quinoa and flowers suggests that a beverage with improved functional properties was obtained. Black quinoa, combined with edible flowers, was more favorable for increasing the antioxidant capacity of beer than other pseudo-cereals (amaranth and chia).