Techno-functional and nutritional variations of Cardaba banana flour as influenced by different modification techniques

Abstract

The majority of gluten-free flours have significant techno-functional shortcomings as well as occasionally poor nutritional quality, all of which necessitate modifications. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine how different modification techniques such as fermentation, pre-gelatinization, acetylation, oxidation, and acid-thinning influence the nutritional, functional, pasting, and thermal properties of Cardaba banana flour – a gluten free flour. Oxidized flour exhibited improved setback viscosity and trough, in addition to protein and crude fibre. The technological parameters and general nutritional profiles of the flour were not considerably improved by acid-thinning and acetylation modifications. However, the most significant and crucial nutritional, functional, pasting and thermal properties of the flour experienced a substantial improvement during pre-gelatinization and fermentation treatments. Total phenol contents and antioxidants, dietary fibre, resistant, slowly digestible and rapidly digestible starches, essential mineral elements such as Na, K, P and nutritional important mineral ratios, Na/K, and Ca/P, as well as functional, pasting, and thermal stability indices, were improved during fermentation and pre-gelatinization, thus indicating the potential of these methods to minimize the inherent drawbacks of the native flour. Pre-gelatinization and fermentation technologies could considerably improve the technological, functional and nutritional characteristics of Cardaba banana and improve its food and industrial applications.