Antioxidant potential and quality characteristics of vegetable-enriched corn-based extruded snacks

Utilization of industrial hemp by-product defatted seed flour: effect of its incorporation on the properties and quality characteristics of 'tsoureki', a rich-dough baked Greek product

BACKGROUND

A rich-dough baked Greek product named 'tsoureki' was prepared using non-gluten hemp seed flour at ratios of 0:100, 10:90, 30:70, and 50:50. The effects of hemp flour addition on the properties of 'tsoureki', including physicochemical properties (moisture content, water activity, sorption phenomena), structural properties, textural properties, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and sensorial characteristics, as well as the macroscopic structure and morphological characteristics, were studied.

RESULTS

Hemp flour addition affected dough rheology, showing tan δ values < 1, a decrease in both G' and G″ values, while both flow behavior and consistency indices were also significantly affected, which might have an influence on the final baked goods. The Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer model satisfactorily described sorption data, while both hemp addition and temperature had a significant effect. A significantly higher hardness of 11.55 N, a lower specific volume of 2.65 cm³  g^-1 , and a lower porosity of 0.676 were observed at high hemp additions. The hemp flour level influenced the color of the crumb and crust, and the total color difference (ΔE) increased significantly with the increase in hemp flour. Hemp flour additions were detectable by the naked eye, with an obvious color difference between control and hemp-containing samples. Moreover, the phenolic content and antioxidant capacity were increased, as were some organoleptic characteristics, such as the bitter aftertaste. Concurrently, overall acceptability decreased significantly.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the incorporation of gluten-free defatted hemp seed flour in 'tsoureki' formulations seems to be a promising alternative for improving quality of such rich-dough baked products. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Corn Extrudates Enriched with Health-Promoting Ingredients: Physicochemical, Nutritional, and Functional Characteristics

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different types of powder additions on the properties of corn extrudates. The following ingredients, which are good sources of bioactive compounds, were used to substitute corn flour: legume protein sources (2% pea, 5% broccoli, and 5% lucerne), plants (15% beetroot and 15% rosehip), and condiments (2% chili, 2% turmeric, 2% paprika, and 2% basil). The total polyphenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AA) increased when the corn flour was replaced with the different types of ingredients. The highest TPC was found for rosehip followed by the beet, basil, and broccoli additions. Compared to the raw formulations, all the extrudates, except the rosehip extrudate, showed a decrease in the TPC ranging from 11 to 41%, with the smallest loss (11%) occurring for basil and the highest loss (41%) occurring for the control extrudate, respectively. The same observation was recorded for the AA. For the extrudate enriched with rosehip, the TPC and AA increased by 20% and 16%, respectively. The highest level of protein digestibility was in the corn extrudate with the pea addition followed by broccoli and lucerne. The extruded corn samples with condiment additions had a lower glycemic index than the control extrudate. This study demonstrated the potential for the production of gluten-free corn extrudates enriched with ingredients from different sources with improved nutritional properties, conferring also a natural color in the final extrudates.

In search of better snacks: ohmic-heating nixtamalized flour and amaranth addition increase the nutraceutical and nutritional potential of vegetable-enriched tortilla chips

BACKGROUND

Nixtamalized flour snacks such as tortilla chips are widely consumed across the world, but they are nutritionally poor and contribute to obesity and other non-communicable diseases. The production of healthy versions of such snacks, by incorporating vegetables and improving the quality of the flours used in their formulation, could help address these nutritional challenges. This study compared the fortification of baked tortilla chips with vegetable leaf powders (kale and wild amaranth at 0%, 4%, 8%, and 16% w/w) and using two types of nixtamalized flour: traditional (TNF) and with ohmic heating (OHF).

RESULTS

Overall, the use of OHF increased 1.88 times the fibre in enriched and non-enriched snacks with respect to TNF, but the latter had 1.85 times more protein. Addition of 16% of vegetable powders increased protein (kale = 1.4-fold; amaranth = 1.3-fold) and dietary fibre (kale = 1.52-fold; amaranth = 1.7-fold). Amaranth enrichment improved total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of chips at least 1.2 and 1.63 times, respectively. OHF chips also had higher bound TPC than TNF ones, regardless of vegetable addition. Combinations of OHF with 16% amaranth produced chips 1.74-fold higher in antioxidant capacity than non-enriched ones, due to increased content of phenolics such as ferulic acid.

CONCLUSION

This work showed that tortilla chips made using nixtamalized flour produced with assisted ohmic heating, alone or in combination with wild amaranth leaf powder, could be used in the production of healthy maize snacks to enhance their prospective antioxidant activity and nutritional value. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Food extrusion: An advanced process for innovation and novel product development

Extrusion is a versatile process capable of producing a variety of new and novel foods and ingredients, thus increasing manufacturing opportunities. Further, it could provide nutritious, safe, sustainable, and affordable foods, especially directed at individualized consumer needs. In addition to past research efforts, more investigations should be conducted in order to refine, redesign, or develop new extrusion processing technologies. The present review highlights the current advances made in new and novel food product development by considering the extrusion process, the influencing parameters, and product characteristics and properties; the most promising extrusion processes that can be used in novel food product and ingredient development, such as extrusion cooking, hot-melt extrusion, reactive extrusion, and extrusion-based 3D printing; the possibilities of using various raw materials in relation to process and product development; and the needs for product development modeling along with extrusion process design and modeling. In correlation with extruded product development, topics that merit further investigation may include structure formation, plant and animal biopolymers functionalization, biopolymer reactions, process simulation, modeling and control, engineering and mechanical aspects of extruders, analysis of pre-processing treatments, as well as prototyping, risk analysis, safety, sensory and consumer acceptance.

Butterfly Pea Flower as a Novel Ingredient to Produce Antioxidant-Enriched Yellow Pea-Based Breakfast Cereals

Butterfly pea flower (BP) is a rich source of bioactive components and can potentially be utilized to produce appealing, wholesome foods. Antioxidant and dietary fiber-enriched breakfast cereals were produced by extrusion cooking using blends of BP and yellow pea flour (YP). BP was added to YP at 0%, 5% and 10% levels (w/w), respectively, and extruded at two temperature profiles with die temperatures of 130 and 150 °C. Incorporation of BP significantly (p < 0.05) improved the total phenolics content, antioxidant properties, and insoluble and total dietary fiber content of the extrudates, with 10% BP extrudates showing the highest values. At a die temperature of 150 °C, the extrudates had a higher expansion ratio, a lower dry hardness, and a higher dry crispiness as compared to those at 130 °C. The color of BP-incorporated extrudates was darker and bluer as compared to the no-BP extrudates. The 10% BP extrudates retained relatively more of their hardness, crispiness, and crunchiness after soaking, indicating a better bowl-life and, therefore, better suitability of this blend formula for breakfast cereal production. Overall, this research shows that healthier breakfast cereals with appealing color and relatively longer bowl-life can be produced using BP, making BP a potential novel ingredient for extrusion formulations.

Effects of extrusion temperature and puffing technique on physical and functional properties of purpled third-generation snack after heat treatment

This work aimed to investigate the effects of extrusion temperature (100 105 and 110 °C) and puffing technique (microwaving (210, 420 and 560 W.) and deep frying (170 and 190 °C)) on physical and functional properties of third-generation snack containing purple sweet potato and butterfly pea flower. Snack qualities in terms of physical properties (expansion ratio, bulk density, color and texture) and functional properties (total anthocyanin content, total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity) were subsequently determined. The results showed that extrusion temperature did not significantly affect the color of snack pellets. However, it significantly affected the functional properties of the snack pellets. Snack pellet produced from extruder at 110 °C contained significantly higher functional properties when compared to those extruded at 100 and 105 °C (p < 0.05). In addition, the study of the puffing method indicated that an increase of microwave power level and frying temperature resulted in a decrease of hardness. On the other hand, the increase of microwave power level and frying temperature caused an increase of antioxidant capacity in the puffed snacks. Moreover, microwave puffing could help preserve the color and antioxidant capacity better than deep frying. Especially, microwaved snack had total anthocyanin content twice more than that puffed by frying.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-021-05234-x.

Effect of the Addition of Different Vegetal Mixtures on the Nutritional, Functional, and Sensorial Properties of Snacks Based on Pseudocereals

Quick meals available in markets are popular among consumers. Generally, these products are not recognized as functional foods owing to nutrient-poor composition. In this study, energy snack bars were developed with different formulations, using puffed quinoa, amaranth, cacao liquor, and coconut oil, and the effects of the addition of commercial vegetal mixtures (VM) on nutritional and functional properties were assessed. VM addition showed significant effects on the protein, lipid, and fiber contents, phenolic compounds (PHC) content, and antioxidant activity of the snacks. The control snack showed higher levels of free and bound PHC. The oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) analyses recorded highest values of free PHC (9392.7 μmol TE/100 g dry weight) in PC65 (concentrate based on a combination of vegetal proteins), whereas the highest bound PHC levels of 47,087 and 46,531 μmol TE/100 g dry weight were observed in PC65 and the control snacks, respectively. Sensorial attributes assessment provided a high score on the hedonic scale, wherein panelists detected no differences among the samples. Altogether, the selection of non-conventional ingredients with high antioxidant activities emerged as a successful strategy to produce sensory acceptable meals.

Extruded Preparations with Sour Cherry Pomace Influence Quality and Increase the Level of Bioactive Components in Gluten-Free Breads

Gluten-free bread (GFB) usually has a lower nutritional value than its traditional counterparts and is deficient in health-promoting substances. Therefore, GFB is often enriched in gluten-free components containing high levels of bioactive substances. In this work, an attempt has been made to enrich GFB with rice flour-based extruded preparations produced at 80 and 120°C with a share of 10 and 20% sour cherry pomace. The study material consisted of the abovementioned preparations together with breads produced with their 10% share. In order to prove that the extruded preparations could be the source of phenolic compounds, their level was determined. The influence of the applied additions was assessed taking into account nutritional composition (protein, fat, ash, and carbohydrates), level of the phenolic compounds (total phenolic content, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and phenolic acids), antioxidant potential, and physical properties of the breads (texture volume, color). It was shown that the extrudates with a share of fruit pomace cause an enrichment of gluten-free breads in bioactive compounds. The gluten-free breads enriched in extrudates with sour cherry pomace obtained at 120°C contained even 6 times more polyphenols than breads with extrudates obtained at 80°C. At the same time, these breads contained the highest levels of flavonoids and phenolic acids among all the analyzed samples. Bread with the addition of the extrudate produced with 20% fruit pomace at 120°C was the most favorable in terms of bioactive compounds (total phenolic content, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and phenolic acids) and antioxidative activity. The abovementioned bread showed the highest amount of total, soluble and insoluble fiber, and a significant amount of ash and sugars and revealed the lowest hardness during 3 days of storage, in comparison with the other samples.

Effects of extrusion conditions on chemical properties of extruded white ginseng root hair

BACKGROUND

This study was to investigate the significant effects of extrusion process variables on chemical properties of extruded white ginseng root hair. The extrusion conditions were set as follows: barrel temperature (110 and 140 °C), moisture content (20 and 30%) and screw speed (200 and 300 rpm). The powder of white ginseng root hair was extruded as L₈ (2⁷ ) orthogonal experimental design.

RESULTS

The crude saponin and acidic polysaccharide contents of extrudate were significantly higher than those of raw material after extrusion. In addition, antioxidant properties were also increased, while reducing sugar content was markedly lower than that of raw material. Moisture content was the most significant factor affecting the reducing sugar, acidic polysaccharide and total phenolic contents, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity. Barrel temperature significantly affected reducing power, and screw speed significantly influenced crude saponin content.

CONCLUSIONS

The extrusion process aided in improving the amount of beneficial compounds from white ginseng root hair. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Use of blackcurrant and chokeberry press residue in snack products

Fruit and vegetable processing by-products, undervalued until recently, are rich sources of nutrients. This study investigated properties of extruded corn puffs with addition (5–20%) of blackcurrant or chokeberry pressings. We assessed expansion rate, water absorption index (WAI) and water solubility index (WSI) of the produced extru-dates, the concentration of polyphenols, and antioxidant activity measured by FRAP method and ABTS method. The puffs with addition of chokeberry pressings had higher WSI values, higher phenolic acids, flavonols, and anthocyanins content, and higher antioxidant activity than puffcorn with addition of blackcurrant pressings. The corn puffs with addition of fruit pressings contained much higher concentrations of phenolic compounds and were characterized by much higher antioxidant activity than pure puffcorn. This confirms the usefulness of addition of such fruit processing by-products in order to manufacture functional food.

Effects of extrusion with CO2 injection on physical and antioxidant properties of cornmeal-based extrudates with carrot powder

Carrot powder and cornmeal were extruded at ratios of 0:100, 10:90, and 20:80 with and without CO₂ injection at die temperatures of 80, 100, and 120 °C. The effects of the composition of the extrudate, die temperature, and CO₂ injection on physicochemical and antioxidant properties of extruded products were studied. The results showed that die temperature had a significant effect on expansion ratio (ER), specific length, piece density, color, water absorption index (WAI), and water solubility index (WSI) (p < 0.05). The injection of CO₂ significantly affected the ER, WAI, WSI, lightness, redness, microstructure, total phenolic content, and the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging activity of extrudates (p < 0.05). Increasing the proportion of carrot powder in extrudates resulted in better antioxidant properties and higher levels of crude ash, crude fat, crude protein, and redness; however, it resulted in lower WAI, lightness, and yellowness (p < 0.05). The study demonstrated that extrusion with CO₂ injection and addition of carrot powder may improve the nutritional quality and structure-forming ability of extrudates.

Single screw extrusion of apple pomace-enriched blends: Extrudate characteristics and determination of optimum processing conditions

Response surface methodology was used to investigate the single screw extrusion of apple pomace–defatted soy flour–corn grits blends and the product properties. Five different blends at a level of 0–20% w/w apple pomace were extrusion cooked with varied barrel and die temperature (100–140℃), screw speed (100–200 rpm), and feed moisture content (14–20% wet basis). Increasing apple pomace content in the blends significantly ( P < 0.05) increased the bulk density, the total phenolic content, and the antioxidant activity of the extrudates. The expansion ratio increased with pomace inclusion level of 5% but decreased significantly ( P < 0.05) at higher levels of pomace inclusion (10–20%). Moisture content had quadratic influence on water absorption and solubility indices. Optimal extrusion cooking conditions most likely to produce apple pomace-enriched extruded snack products were at 140℃ barrel and die temperature, 20% feed moisture content, and 200 rpm screw speed. The results indicated active interaction between apple pomace and starch during expansion process.

Technologies for enhancement of bioactive components and potential health benefits of cereal and cereal-based foods: Research advances and application challenges

Cereal grains are a major source of human food and their production has steadily been increased during the last several decades to meet the demand of our increasing world population. The modernized society and the expansion of the cereal food industry created a need for highly efficient processing technologies, especially flour production. Earlier scientific research efforts have led to the invention of the modern steel roller mill, and the refined flour of wheat has become a basic component in most of cereal-based foods such as breads and pastries because of the unique functionality of wheat protein. On the other hand, epidemiological studies have found that consumption of whole cereal grains was health beneficial. The health benefit of whole cereal grain is attributed to the combined effects of micronutrients, phytochemicals, and dietary fibre, which are mainly located in the outer bran layer and the germ. However, the removal of bran and germ from cereal grains during polishing and milling results in refined flour and food products with lower bioactive compounds and dietary fibre contents than those from whole grain. Also, the level of bioactive compounds in cereal food is influenced by other food preparation procedures such as baking, cooking, extrusion, and puffing. Therefore, food scientists and nutritionists are searching for strategies and processing technologies to enhance the content and bioavailability of nutrients, bioactive compounds, and dietary fibre of cereal foods. The objective of this article was to review the research advances on technologies for the enhancement of bioactive compounds and dietary fibre contents of cereal and cereal-based foods. Bioactivities or biological effects of enhanced cereal and cereal-based foods are presented. Challenges facing the application of the proposed technologies in the food industry are also discussed.

Sensory, Physico-Chemical and Water Sorption Properties of Corn Extrudates Enriched with Spirulina

This study compares the quality of extrudates made from corn grits with the addition of up to 8% of spirulina powder. The sensory properties (shape, color, aroma, taste and crispness), chemicals (content of water, protein, fat, ash, fiber, carbohydrates, carotenoids, chlorophyll and phycocyanin) and physical properties (color, water absorption index, expansion indices, texture and water sorption properties) were determined. It has been found that spirulina-enriched extrudates had slightly lower sensory scores, but the addition of spirulina improved their nutritional value. The contents of protein, ash, fiber and β-carotene increased in extrudates with 8% of spirulina by 34, 36, 140 and 1,260%, respectively. The increasing addition of spirulina caused a decrease in extrudates lightness, an increase in their greenness and yellowness accompanied by a decrease of expansion indices and an increase of softness. Only small differences were found in water sorption properties, suggesting a similar behavior of spirulina-enriched extrudates during storage.

Corn Crisps Enriched in Omega-3 Fatty Acids Sensory Characteristic and its Changes During Storage

Extruded cereal snacks are usually deficient in protein, mineral ingredients, valuable fatty acids. With the rise of health awareness among consumers, food manufacturers and scientists are pressed to take measures in order to develop new functional/health-beneficial foods. The aim of this work was to manufacture extruded crisps enriched with α-linolenic acid (obtained from linseed oil) and to observe whether storage of the product for the period of 6 months would cause its disqualification, primarily due to its sensory properties and secondarily due to its chemical properties. The research demonstrated that the addition of linseed oil to corn crisps at the amount of 5 % enables to obtain functional corn crisps containing over 2 g of ALA in a portion of 100 g even after 6 months of storage at room temperature. ALA-enriched crisps maintain the original sensory profile after 6 months of storage and their sensory profile is similar to the profile of crisps without the addition of linseed oil if they are packed in barrier packaging filled 100 % with argon. Therefore, they may be a healthier alternative to typical corn crisps.