**2. Materials and Methods**

#### *2.1. Materials*

The quinoa seeds (Titicaca variety cultivated through conventional farming in Galati, Romania, harvest, 2017) used in the experiments were preliminary treated to eliminate the bitter taste and toxic saponins using the procedure described by Nascimento et al. [18]. Quinoa was washed with tap water for 20 min, then the seeds were dried at 45 ◦C for 12 h. After drying the seeds were ground using a blade mill grinder (Bosch MKM6003, Gerlingen, Germany). The quinoa whole flour was then stored at 4 ◦C until further analyses.

The sorghum whole flour (origin Hungary, distributed by Adams Vision SRL Tg Mures, Romania), brown millet flour (distributed by La Finestra sul Cielo Vilareggia Italia) and wholegrain rice flour (Solaris Plant SRL, Bucharest, Romania) were purchased from the local market (Galati, Romania).

Other ingredients used for bread making, such as salt, sugar, lecithin and compressed yeast, were purchased from local market (Galati, Romania).

#### *2.2. Proximate Compositions*

The proximate composition of quinoa, sorghum, millet and rice whole flours was determined as follows: moisture content with SR ISO 712:2005 [19], protein content through semimicro-Kjeldahl method (Raypa Trade, R Espinar, SL, Barcelona, Spain) using a nitrogen-to-protein conversion factor of 6.25 (AACC method 46–11.02 [20]), fat content through Soxhlet extraction method (SER-148; VELP Scientifica, Usmate Velate (MB), Italy) with ether, total, insoluble and soluble dietary fiber contents with a combination of enzymatic and gravimetric methods [21] (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany) and ash contents with SR ISO 2171/2002 [19]. The starch contents were afterwards determined by subtracting from one hundred the total percentage of the components experimentally assayed.

Amylose content was determined using the Amylose/Amylopectin Assay Kit and the procedure recommended by the manufacturer (Megazyne International Ireland Ltd. Wicklow, Ireland), which is based on the method of Gibson et al. [22].

The starch damage was determined though AACC Method 76–31.01 [20], using the dedicated kit from Megazyme International Ireland Ltd. (Wicklow, Ireland).

#### *2.3. Physical Properties*

Fineness module was determined using the method of Godon and Willm [23], the flour being sieved through 500, 400, 315, 160 and 125 μm mesh.

The brightness value (L\*), redness value (a\*) and yellowness value (b\*) were measured using the Chroma Meter CR-410 (Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH). Furthermore, based on a\* and b\* values, the chroma (C\*) and hue angle (h◦) were calculated.
