Role of Endogenous and Exogenous Phenolic Compounds on the Formation of Acrylamide and Fluorescent Advanced Glycation End Products in Heated Quinoa and Cañihua Flours

In this study, the formation of Maillard reaction products (MRPs), namely acrylamide (AA) and fluorescent advanced glycation end products (f-AGEs), was evaluated in four quinoa and four cañihua flours subjected to heating at 185 °C. The influence of endogenous phenolic compounds and the addition of tara hydrolyzed gallotannins on MRPs formation was investigated. Varieties with higher quercetin and rutin contents showed lower AA and f-AGEs formation. AA formation kinetics differed between species, increasing with heating time in quinoa, whilst decreasing after 20 min in cañihua. Maximum AA levels ranged from 18.6 to 87.0 μg/kg, remaining below the EU benchmark value for non-wheat-based bread (300 μg/kg). Compared with the Asn-Glc control system, flour systems reduced AA formation by approximately 18.7 to 60.3%, while tara hydrolyzed extract further enhanced inhibition, reaching reductions above 72.7 to 96.2%. Similar trends were observed for f-AGEs, with mitigation levels up to 54.1 to 77.4%. Cañihua varieties showed higher AA inhibition capacity than quinoa, likely associated with differences in phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity. These findings demonstrate the potential of Andean pseudocereals and tara-derived polyphenols as natural strategies to mitigate thermally induced contaminants in processed foods.