Physicochemical and nutritional characterization of sweet snacks formulated with Prosopis alba flour

Nutritional and functional perspectives of pseudocereals

An increase in the consumption of carbohydrate-rich cereals over past few decades has led to increased metabolic disorders in population. This nutritional imbalance in diets may be corrected by substituting cereal grains with pseudocereals that are richer in high-quality proteins, dietary fibers, unsaturated fats, and bioactive compounds (e.g., polyphenols and phytosterols) as compared to cereal grains. These nutrients have been associated with numerous health benefits, such as hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, anti-cancer, and hepatoprotective properties, and benefits against obesity and diabetes. In this review, the nutritional composition and health benefits of quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat are compared against wheat, maize, and rice. Subsequently, the processing treatments applied to quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat and their applications into food products are discussed. This is relevant since there is substantial market potential for both pseudocereals and functional foods formulated with pseudocereals. Despite clear benefits, the current progress is slowed down by the fact that the cultivation of these pseudocereals is limited to its native regions. Therefore, to meet the global needs, it is imperative to support worldwide cultivation of these nutrient-rich pseudocereals.

Determination of nutritional signatures of vegetable snacks formulated with quinoa, amaranth, or wheat flour

Consumers demand food products that can impact positively health. Those made from quinoa or amaranth flours could meet these expectations. Thus, the main goal of this work was to evaluate the nutritional composition of easy-to-eat snacks combining red pepper, carrot, or zucchini with quinoa or amaranth flours, well-recognized superfoods. In addition, these were compared with snacks incorporating wheat flour, a widely used conventional cereal. The results showed higher protein content in quinoa or amaranth snacks. The snacks with quinoa showed lower saturated fatty acid contents and the highest contents of unsaturated fatty acids. Furthermore, the discriminant model obtained could be used as a powerful predictive model to classify the samples according to the vegetable and flours used. Besides, the canonical discriminant analysis showed that the most influential grouping variable was the flour rather than the vegetable.

Measuring trace element fingerprinting for cereal bar authentication based on type and principal ingredient

This paper introduces a method for determining the authenticity of commercial cereal bars based on trace element fingerprints. In this regard, 120 cereal bars were prepared using microwave-assisted acid digestion and the concentrations of Al, Ba, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Rb, Se, Sn, Sr, V, and Zn were later measured by ICP-MS. Results confirmed the suitability of the analyzed samples for human consumption. Multielemental data underwent autoscaling preprocessing for then applying PCA, CART, and LDA to input data set. LDA model accomplished the highest classification modeling performance with a success rate of 92%, making it the suitable model for reliable cereal bar prediction. The proposed method demonstrates the potential of trace element fingerprints in distinguishing cereal bar samples according to their type (conventional and gluten-free) and principal ingredient (fruit, yogurt, chocolate), thereby contributing to global efforts for food authentication.

Development of multigrain ready-to-eat extruded snack and process parameter optimization using response surface methodology

This study aimed to develop Ready to Eat (RTE) extruded snack using a composite blend of cereal, millet, and pulses. The formulation of the blend was rice, corn, pearl millet, green gram, and cowpea bean in the ratio of 25:30:30:8:7. Process parameters selected for optimization are feed moisture content (8%-12%), extruder rpm (300-350), and barrel temperature (117 °C-121°C). Data were analyzed using Response Surface Methodology, and optimized parameters are found to be 120°C (barrel temperature), 350 rpm (screw speed), and 10% (moisture content) with desirability. The effect of particle size on the feed formulation was also studied. The particle size of 0.5 mm is found to be the best. Furthermore, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy confirmed the effect of independent variables and particle size on the texture of extrudates and functional groups present in them.

Andean purple maize to produce extruded breakfast cereals: impact on techno-functional properties and sensory acceptance

BACKGROUND

Andean purple maize (APM) is an ancient crop widely used as a natural coloring in traditional Peruvian cuisine. However, it has been little explored within the food industry. The present study assessed how APM impacts on techno-functional properties and sensory acceptance of breakfast cereals. Extruded samples formulated with 100, 75, 50, and 25% APM, and complemented with yellow corn grits (YCG), were analyzed for their techno-functional and sensory properties.

RESULTS

Increases in bulk density, as well as reduction in the expantion and porosity were observated for extrudates containing ≥ 50% APM, accompanied by an increase in purple color intensity. Increase in milk absorption index, reduction in milk solubility index and decrease in cereal hardness with increase in APM were also observed. Despite this, APM extented the cereal bowl-life. High sensory scores of overall liking (6) and color (7) were obtained for extruded formulations containing ≥ 50% APM and low values for extrudates with 25% APM. Aroma, flavor, and texture scores did not present significant differences.

CONCLUSION

APM is an ingredient with the potential to be used to produce breakfast cereals since it improves their techno-functional characteristics and sensory acceptance, at the same time, it leads to the production of healthy, nutritious, and sustainable food. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Green Bean, Pea and Mesquite Whole Pod Flours Nutritional and Functional Properties and Their Effect on Sourdough Bread

In this study, proximal composition, mineral analysis, polyphenolic compounds identification, and antioxidant and functional activities were determined in green bean (GBF), mesquite (MF), and pea (PF) flours. Different mixtures of legume flour and wheat flour for bread elaboration were determined by a simplex-centroid design. After that, the proximal composition, color, specific volume, polyphenol content, antioxidant activities, and functional properties of the different breads were evaluated. While GBF and PF have a higher protein content (41-47%), MF has a significant fiber content (19.9%) as well as a higher polyphenol content (474.77 mg GAE/g) and antioxidant capacities. It was possible to identify Ca, K, and Mg and caffeic and enolic acids in the flours. The legume-wheat mixtures affected the fiber, protein content, and the physical properties of bread. Bread with MF contained more fiber; meanwhile, PF and GBF benefit the protein content. With MF, the specific bread volume only decreased by 7%. These legume flours have the potential to increase the nutritional value of bakery goods.