Physical and hydration properties of expanded extrudates from a blue corn, yellow pea and oat bran blend

Incorporation of germinated lupin into corn-based extrudates: Focus on starch digestibility, matrix structure and physicochemical properties

The research aimed to assess the effects of incorporating germinated Lupinus angustifolius flour into corn extrudates for different periods (3, 5, and 7 days), focusing on starch digestibility, morphological structure, thermal, and pasting properties. Extrudate with germinated lupinus flour for 7 days (EG7) significantly increased the content of slowly digestible starch up to 10.56% (p < 0.05). Crystallinity increased up to 20% in extrudates with germinated flour compared to extrudates with ungerminated flour (EUG), observing changes at the molecular level by FTIR that impact the thermal and pasting properties. X-ray diffraction revealed angles of 2θ = 11.31, 16.60, 19.91, and 33.04 as a result of the germination and extrusion processes. Microstructural analysis indicated starch-protein interactions influencing changes in calorimetry, viscosity, X-ray diffraction, and digestibility. PCA allowed establishing that the addition of germinated flours significantly affected the properties and microstructural characteristics of extruded products, potentially affecting digestibility and nutritional quality.

Techno-Functional Properties of Corn Flour with Cowpea (Vigna unguilata) Powders Obtained by Extrusion

Legumes are a good source of vegetal protein that improves diets worldwide. Cowpea has been used as fortification agents in some traditional corn foods in developing countries such as Colombia. The work aimed to evaluate the physicochemical properties of extruded mixtures of corn and cowpea flours to assess the use of these mixes as vegetable protein ingredients. Corn flour was mixed with 15, 30, and 50% of cowpea flour and extruded for this proposal. After extrusion, mixtures were ground to produce a powder. Techno-functional properties of powders as water content, hygroscopicity, water absorption, fat absorption, water solubility index, swelling index, bulk density, Hausner ratio, Carr index, and porosity were evaluated in the mixtures, extrudates, and obtained powders to assess the effect of the addition of cowpea on these properties. Results showed that processing powder obtained by extrusion and drying could be used as a powder to regenerate with water as a source of protein. Moreover, storing processing samples in sections (pellet format) is convenient to avoid wetting since this format is less hygroscopic and the same mass occupies less storage volume than powders.

Recent Progress on Improving the Quality of Bran-Enriched Extruded Snacks

The incorporation of milling by-products, in particular bran, into starch-based extruded snacks allows manufacturers to address two consumer demands at once, i.e., those for goods that are more sustainably produced and of higher nutritional value. However, the higher fiber content in bran than in refined cereal flours poses a limit to the amount that can be included without compromising the quality of extruded snacks, which crucially depends on expansion. Thus, several studies have focused on the effect of bran on the physicochemical characteristics of extruded snacks, leading to the need to review the recent findings in this area. Opportunities, challenges, and potential solutions of bran-enriched snacks are addressed, and several current knowledge gaps are highlighted. Specifically, the first part of the review presents the effects of extrusion cooking on bran's compositional aspects, focusing on structural changes and product quality. After summarizing the main quality traits of extruded snacks (e.g., expansion rate, bulk density, and textural attributes), the effects of bran enrichment on the physical and sensory characteristics of the final product are discussed. Finally, bran pre-treatments as well as processing optimization are discussed as approaches to improve the quality of bran-enriched snacks.

Anthocyanins and Functional Compounds Change in a Third-Generation Snacks Prepared Using Extruded Blue Maize, Black Bean, and Chard: An Optimization

The effect of extrusion cooking on bioactive compounds in third-generation snacks (TGSE) and microwave-expanded snacks (MWSE) prepared using black bean, blue maize, and chard (FBCS) was evaluated. FBCS was extruded at different moisture contents (MC; 22.2–35.7%), extrusion temperatures (ET; 102–142 °C), and screw speeds (SP; 96–171 rpm). Total anthocyanin content (TAC), contents of individual anthocyanins, viz., cyanidin-3-glucoside, malvidin-3-glucoside, pelargonidin-3-glucoside, pelargonidin-3-5-diglucoside, and delphinidin-3-glucoside chloride, total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity (AA), and color parameters were determined. TAC and individual anthocyanin levels increased with the reduction in ET. ET and MC affected the chemical and color properties; increase in ET caused a significant reduction in TPC and AA. Microwave expansion reduced anthocyanin content and AA, and increased TPC. Extrusion under optimal conditions (29% MC, 111 rpm, and 120 °C) generated products with a high retention of functional compounds, with high TAC (41.81%) and TPC (28.23%). Experimental validation of optimized process parameters yielded an average error of 13.73% from the predicted contents of individual anthocyanins. Results suggest that the TGSE of FBCS obtained by combining extrusion and microwave expansion achieved significant retention of bioactive compounds having potential physiological benefits for humans.

Effect of process parameters on the functional and physicochemical properties of extrudates enriched with starch-based nut flour

Widening the range of products produced on the basis of agricultural raw materials and improving the quality of these products and increasing their nutritional value ”‹”‹represent urgent challenges. Therefore, the production of new mass consumption products with high nutritional and biological value brings to the fore the use of local nut flour as an enriching supplement in innovative technological processes. The high nutritional value of nuts (nuts, walnuts, and peanuts) is due to their chemical composition, including lipids, a large amount of soluble proteins that are well absorbed by the human body, sufficiently large quantities of vitamin  B1 and a small amount of vitamins PP and E. It is known that in peanut grains, lipids have a balanced composition of fats and acids, as well as sufficiently large amounts of essential amino acids, which makes their protein composition closer to that of animal proteins. This study considers the influence of thermoplastic extrusion parameters on the functional and physicochemical properties of extrudates in their formation process. The technological and design parameters of the process and their variation ranges are based on studies conducted on model systems. The ratio of the extrusion mixture components (formulation) is also developed. Based on the methodology for multifactorial experimental design, the variation of the volume weights, expansion rates, and mechanical specific energy expenditure of porous extrudates enriched with starch-based nut flour is studied.  It has been established that the best quality indicators of the products are achieved with the minimum volume weight and the maximum expansion rate.

Estudio de los parámetros de freído sobre las propiedades fisicoquímicas de una botana hecha de harinas de maíz, chicharo y salvado de avena

Resumen El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el efecto de la temperatura y tiempo de freído sobre las propiedades fisicoquímicas: porcentaje de humedad, H; cambio neto de color, ΔE; contenido de grasa, G; índices de absorción, IAA; solubilidad en agua, ISA; densidad aparente, DA; y dureza, D, de un alimento frito tipo botana preparado con una mezcla de harinas de maíz nixtamalizado (HMN), harina de chícharo (HC) y salvado de avena (SA), hidratada al 47%. El estudio mostró que DA y H disminuyeron, mientras que ΔE e IAA se incrementaron con el aumento de la temperatura y el tiempo de freído. Los cambios en ISA y D resultaron estadísticamente no significativos. El análisis de componentes principales, mostró que el 83% de la variabilidad de los datos se puede explicar debido a dos componentes: temperatura (56%) y tiempo (28%). El análisis sensorial mostró que la botana elaborada a 165 °C y 198 s obtuvo mayor aceptación, resultando un alimento con alto contenido de proteína y bajo contenido de grasa.

Characterization of a Mixture of Oca (Oxalis tuberosa) and Oat Extrudate Flours: Antioxidant and Physicochemical Attributes

The oca (Oxalis tuberosa) is a tuber with high starch content and excellent antioxidant properties, which can be used in the production of extruded products; however, starch-rich products can be improved nutritionally through the incorporation of fibers that can result in extrudates with beneficial health properties. The aim of this work was to develop a mixture of oca (Oxalis tuberosa) and oat extrudate flours and evaluate the antioxidant and physicochemical attributes. The results showed that a higher moisture content increased the hardness, water absorption index, and density of the extrudates; however, the solubility and expansion indexes showed an inverse pattern. The addition of oat fiber had the opposite effect from moisture content on the physicochemical properties mentioned above. The cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) of the extrudates decreased when the oat fiber increased. An inverse pattern was observed when the moisture concentration was increased. The starch hydrolysis percentage and glycemic index decreased significantly when the fiber content increased. Oat fiber contributed 67.29% and 65.04% to these parameters, respectively. Oat fiber exerted a greater effect than moisture on the collets extruded in this study according to factor contributions.

Effect of Extrusion Conditions and the Optimization of Phenolic Compound Content and Antioxidant Activity of Wheat Bran Using Response Surface Methodology

The extrusion process (EP) consists of heat and mechanical treatments under different conditions of moisture, shear, and pressure and rapidly causes structural alterations and changes in the functional properties of the extruded material. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of extrusion conditions and optimize the wheat bran extrusion conditions to achieve the greatest content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity using response surface methodology. The EP factors evaluated were feed moisture (FM) (25-33.54%) and final extrusion temperature (T) (140-180 °C). The properties evaluated in the extruded material were bound total phenol content (BTPC), total phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity (AOX). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and response surface methodology were used in the evaluation. The determination coefficients, (FM)² and (T)², very significantly affected the BTPC and bound 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl content (BDPPHC). The optimization was performed by overlaying two contour plots to predict the best combination regions. The optimized extrusion conditions were the following: FM = 30% and T = 140 °C, which provided BTPC = 3547.01 μgGAE/g (predicted: 3589.3 μgGAE/g) and BDPPHC = 9.5 μmolTE/g (predicted: 10.4 μmolTE/g); and FM = 30% and T = 180 °C, which provided BTPC = 3342.3 μgGAE/g (predicted: 3727.7 μgGAE/g) and BDPPHC = 9.5 μmolTE/g (predicted: 9.3 μmolTE/g). The EP increased the phenolic compounds and AOX, and enhancement of these properties in wheat bran products could make them functional foods.