Development and quality evaluation of millet fortified tuber based extruded RTE products

Abstract

As the eating patterns are changing day by day, snack foods play very important role in the diet of the modern consumer. Extrusion technology has a pivotal role in the snack and ready to eat breakfast food industry. The development of new value added products like pasta and expanded products would enhance their food, and economic value. Such products are more palatable and acceptable to the modern day consumers. So the present study was undertaken to develop ready to cook (RTC) pasta and ready to eat (RTE) expanded products from corn, ragi, rice, atta, elephant yam, purple yam and drumstick. Six combinations of pasta products consists of flour mix containing tuber, wheat, millet flour and a binding agent like guar gum in different proportion. The quality parameters viz. cooking properties (cooking time, swelling power, solid loss and WAR), physical properties (expansion ratio and bulk density) and engineering properties (colour and texture) for various pasta products were determined. Pasta products were packed in 400 gauge LDPE and kept for storage studies up to three months. For development of RTE product, preliminary trials was conducted and based on those trials feed moisture content and screw speed were fixed. The blends of seven different combinations were extruded at temperature of 100, 110 and 120°C at a screw speed of 350 rpm and 17.5% feed moisture content. Considering the results of sensory evaluation, seven combinations were selected out of 21 extrudates. The seven extruded product was evaluated for physical, functional, colour and textural properties. The proximate composition in terms of protein, fat, carbohydrate and total energy were also analysed. The extruded products were stored in aluminium pouches and with nitrogen flushing. The quality parameters (moisture content, water activity, colour and textural properties) of stored RTE products were analysed upto one month with an interval of 15 days. Based on optimization and sensory evaluation, Ragi(25%): Corn(20%): Atta(25%): Elephant yam(10%): Purple yam(15%): Drumstick(3%): Guar gum(2%) i.e., P6 pasta sample and Corn(60%): Elephant yam(15%): Purple yam(20%): Drumstick(5%) i.e., (P4T1) RTE product was selected as the best combination out of all combinations under concern.