Development of physical process for quinoa fractionation and targeted separation of germ with physical, chemical and SEM studies

Partially defatted coconut flour as a functional ingredient in replacement of refined wheat flour for development of fiber rich muffins

In the current study, partially defatted coconut flour (PDCF) was prepared using deoiled cake obtained after virgin coconut oil processing. The proximate analysis of PDCF revealed the presence of 5.21% moisture, 14.03% fat, 21.34% protein, 46.39% fiber and 3.27% ash, along with prominent functional properties. Herein, muffins were prepared by incorporation of PDCF as a replacement of refined wheat flour (RWF) at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% flour blend. Significant changes in batter rheology were observed after 25 to 100% replacement of RWF with PDCF, which indicated a decrease in peak viscosity and final viscosity by 65.05 to 83.59% and 61.57 to 85.17% respectively, an increase in specific gravity of batter by 0.857-0.929 g/L. The prepared muffins had significant variations in colour of crust and crumb regions as represented by changes in L*a*b*, Hue angle (h°) and Chroma (C) and textural properties such as hardness, springiness, guminess, cohesiveness, chewiness, and resilience. Incorporation of 50% PDCF significantly (P < 0.05) increased the overall acceptability of the muffins (with a maximum score of 8.5), with a fiber content of 5.53 ± 0.23% and protein content of 7.57 ± 0.30%. Storage stability studies performed at 25 ± 2 °C for seven days revealed an increase in microbial count, and reduction in textural properties but both to be in acceptable regime.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-023-05857-2.

Quinoa germ-enriched pasta: Technological, nutritional, textural, and morphological properties

Germ is the most significant component of quinoa having good nutritional value. Quinoa germ (QG), with balanced amino acid profile and unsaturated fatty acid, is a unique ingredient for human nutrition. In present study, pasta supplemented with QG was characterized for physical, nutritional, morphological, and textural properties. Dough rheology showed increased farinograph water absorption and decreased dough stability with the addition of QG. Addition of QG up to 30% significantly improved the pasta protein content from 13.55% to 20.55%. The substitution of QG to pasta showed decrease in whiteness index and increase in optimum cooking time, swelling index, cooked weight, and cooking loss. It is reported that 20% QG supplement pasta was found to be acceptable; beyond, this level the pasta quality was inferior. Firmness value of pasta significantly increased up to 20% supplementation of QG from 157 to 178 g. The micrographs of pasta with the addition of QG observed increased protein matrix around the starch granules. The results inferred that the QG can serve as a potential functional ingredient for the development of nutritionally enhanced pasta for food industry. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Quinoa germ (QG) is concentrated source of nutrient with unique nutrition and alternative source of protein. Pasta is the one the popular and fast-growing food in world and explored for enhancement of its nutritional composition to target a larger population with specific nutrient demand. Hence, pasta becomes important vehicle for the supplementation. Developed QG-enriched high-protein pasta will help industry to produce nutritious products at large scale.