Nutritive value and aflatoxin contamination of gluten-free flours

Abstract

There is a growing interest in making versatile gluten-free (GF) foods not only for patients, but also for health-conscious individuals who choose to keep a gluten-free diet. We aimed to investigate gluten –free flours from natural sources and from minimal processing through comparative analyses of the nutrition facts from the labels, and the determination of total aflatoxin contamination levels. Of the 49 flour samples, 6 types were from gluten-free cereals, 5 types from pseudo-cereals, and 15 types were oilseed press cake powder. Almond flour, grape skin powder and GF oat bran. Aflatoxin was determined using Neogen Q+ for Aflatoxin procedure after sample extraction with aqueous ethanol solution. We found significant differences regarding the fat, dietary fiber and protein content, the energy content did not differ significantly and was in the range 298-360 kcal/100 g. With the exception of walnut press cake powder, fatty cocoa powder and quinoa flour, all the samples were qualified as safe ingredient as their aflatoxin content did not exceed the official limit. The studied gluten-free flours are safe and nutrient rich materials for gluten-free diet.