Physical and sensory properties of value added ready-to-eat (RTE) extruded snacks prepared from cereal-pulse blend

Abstract

The present study was carried out to utilize the cereal-pulse blend for preparation of ready-to-eat snacks using extrusion cooking. The cereal flours (wheat and maize) and different pulse flours (soybean and green gram) were assessed for proximate composition, total dietary fiber and minerals.For the preparation of control sample, the snacks were prepared from wheat flour-maize grits mix. The snacks prepared from wheat flour-maize grits mix in the ratio of 40:60 gave the highest expansion ratio. The effect of incorporation of different levels of different pulse flour on physical and sensory quality of extruded snacks was investigated. The physical properties namely expansion ratio, bulk density and hardness of the extruded snacks were analyzed. The snacks prepared from replacement of wheat-maize mix with 15% pulse flour had maximum sensory score and nutritional quality. It has been concluded that the pulses viz. soy bean and green gram can be utilized to prepare value added snacks by replacement ofwheat-maize flour with pulses