Nutritional compositions, bioactive properties, and in-vivo glycemic indices of amaranth-based optimized multigrain snack bar products

Abstract

The pervasiveness of diabetes mellitus (DM) is globally escalating, the disease being a consequence of dietary changes and modernization. As a result of rising consumer demand for products with greater quality and health benefits, research efforts aim to incorporate multigrain flours into snack products which could significantly improve the nutritional composition while harnessing their health-promoting properties. Snacks are an essential part of the human diet providing satiety and supply of necessary nutrients. To develop the multigrain snack product (MS), pre-fermented amaranth, acha, and pearl millet flours were combined in different ratios following optimization using response surface methodology representing SB1 (90: 5: 5) and SB2 (47.98: 26.68: 25.34) and oat snack bar market sample (SBC) served as control. The nutrient composition, glycemic index (GI), antioxidant properties, microbial safety, and sensory quality of the developed snacks were assessed using standard methods. SB1 and SB2 had high protein and ash contents, whereas, the carbohydrate and energy contents were similar to SBC. In addition, snack bar had a good balance of amino acids, contained significant macro and micro elements with a Na/K ratio of <1, and the phytate/calcium molar ratio was below the corresponding critical limit. MS bars depicted low to intermediate GI (48.69, 57.11), especially SB1 while SBC had approximately high GI (69.81). In addition, MS exhibited significant •OH scavenging ability, Fe2+ chelation, and the ability to inhibit Fe2+-induced lipid peroxidation. Summarily, SB1 had the highest protein content (21.95%), the composition of essential amino acid exceeded the reference standard, possessed low GI, and low postprandial blood sugar concentration (144 mg/dL) thus, may considerably qualify as a healthful dietary snack being nutrient-dense with antioxidant and hypoglycemic properties.