Nutritional Evaluation of Cereal-pulse Based Extruded Snacks Supplemented with Dehydrated Herbs

Aim: To do nutritional evaluation of cereal-pulse based extruded snacks supplemented with dehydrated herbs.

Study Design: Experimental.

Place and Duration of Study: sample: department of food and nutrition and department of food science and technology, Punjab agricultural university, Ludhiana, Punjab, India, between Jan 2015 to Dec, 2017.

Methodology: In the present investigation, a combination of wheat and chickpea (80:20) was used for formulation of extruded snacks which were supplemented with varying levels of 1-5 percent dried herbs namely basil (bl), mint (ml), drumstick leaves (dl) and a mixture of all these herbs (mxl) having one percent of each herb. The acceptable extrudates were analysed for different nutritional parameters namely: Proximate, vitamins minerals, bioactive components and in vitro nutrient digestibility.

Results: Organoleptically extrudates were found to be most acceptable at three percent level of supplementation for all the herbs. Overall acceptability of various extrudates was in the order of mxl>dl>ml>bl. The moisture, ash, crude protein, fibre and fat content of supplemented extruded snacks ranged from 3.40 to 3.88, 2.32 to 2.90, 11.35 to 12.20, 3.0 to 3.36 and 1.67 to1.75 g/100 g, respectively. Ascorbic acid and β-carotene content of supplemented extruded snacks ranged from 9.72 to 12.98 mg/100 g and 54.71-98.10 µg/100 g, respectively. Total iron, calcium and zinc content in supplemented extruded snacks were found to increase in the range of 19-29, 38-77 and 52-63%, respectively in comparison to control. The total phenol and flavonoid content of supplemented extruded snacks varied from 153.45 to 184.76 mg GAE/100 g and 222.38 to 384.40 mg RE/100 g, respectively. The percent increase in total antioxidant capacity (tac) in supplemented snacks ranged from 97-124, 93-125, 96-154 and 25-46%, respectively by DPPH, ABTS, FRAP and RPA respectively as compared to control.

Conclusion: It can be concluded that supplementation of some of the commonly used dehydrated herbs leaves in the powder form to the cereal-pulse based extruded snacks can help to introduce a new type of value-added snacks which will not only satisfy consumers short time hunger but also provide numerous health benefits especially in terms of bioactive components.