Development of Germinated-Brown-Rice-Based Novel Functional Beverage Enriched with γ-Aminobutyric Acid: Nutritional and Bio-Functional Characterization

γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), recognized as a primary inhibitory neurotransmitter within the brain, serves a crucial role in the aging process and in neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. Research has demonstrated the beneficial effects of GABA, particularly for elderly individuals. Given that elderly individuals often encounter challenges with swallowing food, beverages designed to address dysphagia represent a preferable option for this demographic. Among the different processing techniques, the germination process triggers biochemical changes, leading to an increase in certain nutrients and bioactive compounds (e.g., GABA). Therefore, we attempted to develop a novel functional beverage utilizing germinated brown rice enriched with GABA and studied its nutritional and bio-functional characterization. The optimal conditions (X1, X2, X3 and X4.) were determined: powdered sugar (40 g), chocolate powder (20 g), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (0.5 g), GBR (220 g), and water (440 mL). The results of storage studies indicated that the germinated-brown-rice-based beverage exhibited favorable nutritional attributes, including increased γ-oryzanol (52.73 ± 1.56%), total phenolic content (26.68 ± 1.56 mg GAE/100 g), niacin (5.17 ± 0.14%), and GABA (42.12 ± 0.63 mg/100 g) levels. Additionally, the beverage demonstrated notable antioxidant activity (74.23 ± 2.37 µmol TE/100 g), suggesting potential health-promoting effects. Sensory evaluation revealed satisfactory acceptability among consumers, highlighting its palatability. Overall, this study elucidates the development of a novel functional beverage utilizing germinated brown rice enriched with GABA, offering promising nutritional and bio-functional characteristics for health-conscious consumers.

Impact of moisture content on microstructural, thermal, and techno-functional characteristics of extruded whole-grain-based breakfast cereal enriched with Indian horse chestnut flour

The use of non-conventional seed flour is of interest in obtaining healthy breakfast cereals. The research aimed to study the physico-functional, bioactive, microstructure, and thermal characteristics of breakfast cereals using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and differential scanning calorimeter. The increase in feed moisture content (16 %) enhanced the bulk density (5.24 g/mL), water absorption index (7.76 g/g), total phenolic content (9.03 mg GAE/g), and antioxidant activity (30.36 %) having desirable expansion rate (2.84 mm), water solubility index (48 %), and color attributes. The microstructure showed dense inner structures with closed air cells in extruded flours. Extrusion treatment rearranged the crystalline structure from A-type to V-type by disrupting the granular structure of starch, reducing its crystallinity, and promoting the formation of an amylose-lipid complex network. Increasing conditioning moisture enhanced the degree of gelatinization (%), peak gelatinization temperature (Tp), and starch crystallinity (%) and reduced the gelatinization enthalpy (ΔHG) and gelatinization temperature ranges. The results reported in this study will help industries to develop innovative and novel food products containing functional ingredients.

Physical and Paste Properties Comparison of Four Snacks Produced by High Protein Quinoa Flour Extrusion Cooking

Extrusion cooking is used to produce puffed snacks based on cereals and feed ingredients. Because of its nutritional properties, quinoa flour has been employed to prepare various types of foods. This study evaluates the effects of including hyper-protein quinoa flour obtained through abrasive milling in four formulations cooked at 27% moisture content and processed in a laboratory level single screw extruder to determine their physical, textural, and pasting properties. The results indicated that additional hyper-protein quinoa flour in the cereal mixture reduced 47% the expansion index (EI), while the extrudate density (ED) and hardness increased 54 and 130%, respectively. After the extrusion process, the water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI) increased by more than 100%. The addition of hyper-protein quinoa flour (25–37%) did not affect the WAI, but an increase in the WSI was observed. The quinoa flour extrusion process generated changes on the color mainly in the L parameter, which decreased in the extruded snacks with quinoa flour inclusion (51.49), compared to the snack without inclusion (62.68). Changing the integrity of the starch granules and associated proteins, causing a decrease in the viscosity peaks during heating and subsequent cooling. The extruded samples revealed stability in the retrogradation process. Extruded snacks from quinoa could be an alternative approach to produce feed ingredients with high protein contents.