Rheological and nutritional quality of selected dehulled legumes blended rice extrudates

Legume Flour or Bran: Sustainable, Fiber-Rich Ingredients for Extruded Snacks?

The impact of using legume flour and bran on both sensory and texture properties in extruded, sustainable snack formulations was investigated. Sensory attributes determining consumer preference or rejection of legume-based snacks, as well as food neophobia and food technology neophobia were also explored. Seven samples of extruded snacks (R = 100% rice flour; C = 100% chickpea flour; P = 100% green pea flour; C30 = 30% chickpea bran and 70% rice flour; C15 = 15% chickpea bran and 85% rice flour; P30 = 30% green pea bran and 70% rice flour; P15 = 15% green pea bran and 85% rice flour) were subjected to the three-point bend method using a TA.XT plus texture analyzer. Seventy-two subjects (42 women; aged = 29.6 ± 9.3 years) evaluated the samples for liking and sensory properties by means of the check-all-that-apply (CATA) method. The sample made with 100% rice flour obtained the lowest liking scores, and it was not considered acceptable by the consumers. Samples P, C, C15, and P15 were the preferred ones. Crumbliness and mild flavor attributes positively influenced hedonic scores, whereas stickiness, dryness, hardness, and to a lesser extent, visual aspect affected them negatively. Neophilic and neutral subjects preferred the snacks compared with the neophobic ones, while no differences in liking scores were found regarding food technology neophobia. Extruded snacks with legume flour and bran were moderately accepted by consumers involved in the present study, albeit to a lesser extent for neophobic subjects, and could represent an interesting sustainable source of fiber and high-value proteins, as well as a valuable alternative to gluten-free foods present on the market.

Technological quality of dough and breads from commercial algarroba-wheat flour blends

Algarroba flour is used to supplement lysine-limiting systems such as wheat flour due to its amino acidic composition. The effects of adding up to 30% of this flour to wheat flour (W-A30) on dough characteristics and breadmaking performance were studied. Dough rheology was tested by farinograph, oscillatory rheometry and texture profile analyses. Molecular mobility was evaluated by nuclear magnetic resonance, and thermal properties were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry and viscoamylograph studies. Besides, different bread quality parameters were evaluated. Incorporation of algarroba flour resulted into increase in water absorption, development time and degree of softening, and decrease in stability of wheat flour, leading to softer, less adhesive and elastic dough, although at intermediate replacement levels cohesiveness improved. At the molecular level, a reduction of water activity and limited proton motion were observed in W-A30 samples, suggesting that protons were highly bound to the dough matrix. Dough samples with algarroba flour showed lower G' and G″ values than the control, although with the formation of a more elastic structure for W-A30. In addition, algarroba flour produced a protective effect on starch granule disruption and interfered with amylose-amylose association during cooling. The specific volume of breads decreased with the increase in algarroba level, W-A30 reaching the highest decrease (15%). Bread crumbs with algarroba flour exhibited higher values of hardness and resilience. The use of algarroba flour resulted in lower quality when compared to the control. However, algarroba flour at 20% level can be added to wheat flour to obtain bakery products of similar technological quality and with improved nutritional components.

Effects of chickpea flour on wheat pasting properties and bread making quality

Pulses (pea, chickpea, lentil, bean) are an important source of food proteins. They contain high amounts of lysine, leucine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid and arginine and provide well balanced essential amino acid profiles when consumed with cereals. The influence of partial substitution of wheat flour with chickpea flour at the levels of 10, 20 and 30 % was carried out to study their pasting properties and bread making quality. Pasting properties were determined using Micro Visco-Amylo-Graph Analyser and Farinograph. The pasting temperature increased with increase chickpea flour concentration and the temperature of pasting ranged between 62 to 66.5 °C. No peak of viscosity curve was found for pure chickpea flour and have higher pasting temperature than pure wheat flour. Chickpea flour addition increased the water absorption and dough development time (p < 0.05), Regarding dough stability, it appears that 10 % chickpea exhibited higher stability and resistance to mechanical mixing values than the control, while it decreased as the substitute level increases from 20 % to 30 %. The dough surface of the wheat dough and the blend with 10 % was classified as "normal", however the blend with 20 % and 30 % produced "sticky" dough surface. The presence of chickpea flour in dough affected bread quality in terms of volume, internal structure and texture. The color of crust and crumb got progressively darker as the level of chickpea flour substitution increased. While the substitution of wheat flour with 10 % chickpea flour gave loaves as similar as control.