Development of Wheatgrass Powder Enriched Health Foods with Enhanced Free Radical Scavenging Activity

Abstract

<p>Wheatgrass at young green stage is a powerhouse of nutrients and phytochemicals. Its various formulations are available in the form of extracts or powders used as health supplements. However, there is a huge potential of utilization for wheatgrass in the development of health foods for general good health as well as cure of disorders like metabolic syndrome, cancer, thalassemia, aneamia etc. With an aim to develop wheatgrass enriched health foods, the wheatgrass powder could be incorporated up to 10% in chapati and biscuits and up to 5% in bread without compromising the overall acceptability of the products. The free radical scavenging activity of chapati, biscuits and bread were increased significantly (p<0.05) at the optimized levels of enrichment of wheatgrass powder in these products. Food sprinkler enriched with 50% wheatgrass powder enhanced the free radical scavenging activity of the spices by 26% without affecting the sensory attributes of the product. Hence, these wheatgrass powder enriched health foods may possess health promoting properties owing to their high antioxidant activity.</p>