Table 1.

Nutritional characteristics of gluten-free alternative cereals.

Cereals	Nutritional characteristics
Pseudo-cereals Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum)—Central Asia Amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus)—South America Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.)—South America Chia (Salvia hispanica)—Central America	• Source of antioxidants: carotenoids in quinoa seeds, mainly represented by lutein, zeaxanthin, and carotene (24); Chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol contained in chia seeds (25); Polyphenols such as quercetin, apigenin, and luteolin contained in buckwheat (26) • The protein content of quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat, has been reported to be 12.0–18.9% and essential amino acids, particularly, cysteine and methionine, are known to be higher than rice and maize (27) • High amount of dietary fiber (28) • Quinoa has the highest fat content between 2.0 and 9.5%, rich in essential polyunsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic and α-linolenic (28) • The presence of some “anti-nutritional factor” reduces nutritional value, interfering on digestibility, absorption, or utilization of nutrients. The antinutritional factors in the quinoa seed are: saponins, phytic acid, tannins, nitrates, oxalates, and trypsin inhibitors (28)
Teff (Eragrostis tef)—Ethiopia and Eritrea	The flour is rich in fiber (3.0/100 g) • The germ and bran are consumed along with the endosperm • A source of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols • Protein content is 10.5–12.8% • Rich in minerals such as calcium, zinc, magnesium, iron, phosphorous, and copper • Contains good levels of vitamin C, niacin, vitamin A, riboflavin, and thiamine
Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]—North-eastern Africa	• High presence of fibers • Contains bioactive compounds: proanthocyanidins, 3-deoxyanthocyanidins, and flavones
Rice (Oryza sativa L.)—Asia	• The health benefits of whole grain derive mainly from one of its major constituents, i.e., the polyphenols
Maize (29) (Zea mays)—Mexico	• Provides many of the B complex vitamins, essential minerals, and fiber • Lacks vitamin B12, vitamin C, and is a poor source of calcium, folate, and iron
Oat (Avena sativa)—England, France, Poland, Germany, and Russia	• Starch is the major component • High amounts of soluble food fiber in particular beta-glucans (30) • Grains contain natural antioxidants: tocols (tocopherols and tocotrienols) and vitamin E (31)