Abstract
Extrusion cooking allows the development of value-added products from pulses, such as gluten-free snacks with added functional properties. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the changes induced by the extrusion process on the carbohydrate fraction (total carbohydrates, soluble sugars and oligosaccharides, dietary fiber, and arabinoxylans) of novel flour formulations based on chickpeas and rice enriched with different dietary fiber sources. Moreover, the influence of the addition of fiber-rich ingredients, such as Fibersol® and passion fruit, on the analyzed compounds was also evaluated. Sucrose was the main soluble sugar found in analyzed formulations, and raffinose was the prevalent oligosaccharide, followed by stachyose. The content of total α-galactosides tended to be higher after extrusion cooking. As a consequence of the extrusion treatment, the content of total and soluble dietary fiber was statistically increased in most of the analyzed samples. In general, no significant changes were observed in total arabinoxylan content as a consequence of the extrusion process, while the content of water-soluble arabinoxylans was significantly increased in extruded formulations. It was observed that the content of total available carbohydrates, stachyose, and water-soluble arabinoxylans were significantly influenced by the addition of passion fruit, Fibersol®, and both. The incorporation of these ingredients in gluten-free formulations based on chickpeas and rice allows one to obtain suitable functional formulations for the development of innovative, gluten-free, extruded snack-type products, which could be an interesting alternative for people with celiac disease.
Highlights
Extrusion is a versatile, high-temperature–short-time technology that allows the production of fully cooked, low-moisture, and shelf-stable food products [1,2]
No statistically significant (p < 0.05) differences were observed in total available carbohydrates between extruded samples formulated with the highest percentages of Fibersol® (7.5% and 10%), while in those samples formulated with the lowest amount of this compound (0% and 5%), a decrease (p < 0.05) in total available carbohydrates was observed as a consequence of extrusion
The results obtained in the present work and those previously reported by other authors show that extrusion conditions, as well as the characteristics of the food matrix of the material under processing, influence the carbohydrate content of the final products
Summary
High-temperature–short-time technology that allows the production of fully cooked, low-moisture, and shelf-stable food products [1,2]. Extrusion is one of the most interesting technological processes used by the food industry for the fabrication of a variety of food products since this technology is suitable for the development of value-added products, from pulses and other grains, including gluten-free snacks, with functional properties, high nutritional value, and attractive organoleptic characteristics [3,4,5,6] This is relevant as snack-type products have currently become a significant part of the diet of many people around the world, children, and these food products represent an excellent vehicle to improve consumer’s health. The extruded snacks based on cereal–pulse formulations could be a good strategy to develop shelf-stable, ready-to-eat food products with valuable nutritional profiles These aspects are important in geographic areas where malnutrition is a serious health problem [11]. Extrusion allows the incorporation of different dietary fiber sources, such as Fibersol®, which is a water-soluble, nonviscous, and highly digestion-resistant maltodextrin that stimulates the production of satiety hormones and enhances satiety in humans [13]
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