Beer-Like Gluten-Free Beverages Fermented from Buckwheat and Quinoa: Novel raw materials for brewing functional beverages

The realization that a healthy lifestyle, including proper nutrition, reduces the risk of disease and increases health and well-being, has lately received a huge amount of publicity. The concept of “functional foods” comes from Japan after its introduction during the 1980s, describing special foods which aid health and decrease the risk of diseases. In November 1995 the European Commission introduced concerted action on "Functional Food Science in Europe" (FUFOSE), which aimed to establish a science-based approach for concepts in functional foods science. A functional drink should contain biologically active substances in order to bring real additional benefits. Gluten-free beverages based on pseudocereals could already be considered as functional drinks in the broader sense. Since customers are looking for innovative products and additional health benefits while consuming food or drinks, the nutritive properties of buckwheat and quinoa make attempts to investigate these raw materials for malting and brewing purposes worthwhile. When predictions about the suitability of a raw material for brewing purposes are being made, it is useful to compare them with barley malt.