S. Bharath Kumar

Optimization of fruit punch using mixture design.

A highly acceptable dehydrated fruit punch was developed with selected fruits, namely lemon, orange, and mango, using a mixture design and optimization technique. The fruit juices were freeze dried, powdered, and used in the reconstitution studies. Fruit punches were prepared according to the experimental design combinations (total 10) based on a mixture design and then subjected to sensory evaluation for acceptability. Response surfaces of sensory attributes were also generated as a function of fruit juices. Analysis of data revealed that the fruit punch prepared using 66% of mango, 33% of orange, and 1% of lemon had highly desirable sensory scores for color (6.00), body (5.92), sweetness (5.68), and pleasantness (5.94). The aroma pattern of individual as well as combinations of fruit juices were also analyzed by electronic nose. The electronic nose could discriminate the aroma patterns of individual as well as fruit juice combinations by mixture design. The results provide information on the sensory quality of best fruit punch formulations liked by the consumer panel based on lemon, orange, and mango.

A study on starch profile of rajma bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) incorporated noodle dough and its functional characteristics

Starch profile reflects functional characteristics like digestibility and product quality. A study was aimed to incorporate rajma in noodle processing to improve product and nutritional quality and also to reduce starch digestibility. It is known that some of the pulses like Kidney beans have an isoforms of Starch-Branching-Enzyme (SBE) helps in converting amylose to amylopectin. Rajma flour was incorporated at 10%, 20% and 30% with Triticumdurum and subjected to rheological, physico-chemical and amylose/amylopectin determination using High-Performance-Size-Exclusion-Chromatography (HPSEC). Results revealed that rajma flour decreased peak-viscosity from 954 to 683 BU and increased water absorption. Protein and dietary fiber content increased significantly. Sensory profile showed higher overall quality (>8.5). In vitro starch digestibility reduced from 65% to 49%. Starch profile from HPSEC showed changes in amylose:amylopectin peak, this may be because of the presence of SBE, further studies may be required to support the hypothesis.

Inclusion of poultry based food ingredients in the formulation of noodles and their effects on noodle quality characteristics

Incorporating exogenous proteins into food products is a better practice for improving nutritional attributes of food commodities. In the search for a way to improve the product and nutritional quality of noodles, this study was aimed to evaluate the impact of the incorporation of poultry based ingredients egg yolk powder (EYP) and chicken mincemeat (CMM) in noodles at different levels (5, 10 and 15%, w/w). The incorporated noodles were subjected to evaluation of the cooking, texture, colour, sensory and microstructure properties. The results showed that the incorporation of poultry based food ingredient types and amount influence the nutritional content of noodles. Simultaneously, poultry based ingredients incorporated noodles showed the acceptable firmness and colour charatertistics. Scanning electron micrograph of the incorporated noodles showed the gelatinized starch granules enveloped by protein matrix, and also indicating a better structure as compared to the control. The sensory profile of incorporated noodles was showed significant (p ≤ 0.05) high overall quality. The result of this study showed that 10% (w/w) EYP and 15% (w/w) CMM incorporated noodles showed a better overall noodles quality attributes (texture, colour, sensory and microstructure). The results also provide ideas about the inclusion of the appropriate levels of poultry based ingredients (EYP and CMM) with a better sensory and nutritional profile. Therefore, this study may be useful in the food industry for the production of poultry based ingredients noodles with enhanced quality characteristics.

Quality Mapping and Positioning of Sev—A Deep Fat Fried Snack

“Sev,” savory prepared from chickpea flour is a popular snack item for its appealing flavor and texture. Mapping and positioning of market samples consisting different varieties like Small (S1, S2, S3), Medium (M1, M2, M3), and Big (B1, B2, B3, B4) were carried out using principal component analysis. Samples were subjected to sensory profiling resulting in small variety samples were crisper compared to other varieties. Texture measurement indicated breaking strength was higher in big variety samples. Color analysis showed significant difference in L*, a*, and b* values. Principal component analysis results indicated that S1 and S2 were associated with crispness, uniform texture, and typical fried oil aroma. Commercially available sev samples were significantly different in their quality parameters, which was indicated by the study. Study showed that small variety (S3) had the highest overall quality among all the samples, which also had high sensory scores for crispness.

Enzyme treated flours in noodle processing: a study on an innovative technology

Modification of ingredients using enzyme is an upcoming and innovative trend. Aim of the present study is to evaluate the influence of modification on the noodles processing. Ingredients such as T. aestivum, T. durum and T. dicoccum were selected for the study. With α-amylase inhibitor the peak viscosity and maximum viscosity increased in samples. Samples modified with branching enzyme showed increase in the gelatinization temperature due to the formation of polymer structure. Noodles formulated with modified ingredients were analyzed for its physico-chemical properties. In vitro starch digestibility of the sample reduced significantly after modification with the inhibitory action of the α-amylase inhibitor and formation of amylopectin/linear association of small chains due to branching enzyme action. High performance size exclusion chromatography analysis indicated the formation of amylopectin with the branching enzyme modification. Therefore, the effective enzymatic modification method to improve the nutritional quality can be with the use of branching enzyme.