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DEVELOPMENT OF A CONTINUOUS METHOD FOR PUFFING AMARANTH ( AMARANTHUS SPP.) SEEDS
Author(s) -
TIKEKAR ROHAN V.,
KARWE MUKUND V.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of food process engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.507
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1745-4530
pISSN - 0145-8876
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-4530.2007.00215.x
Subject(s) - amaranth , plastics extrusion , mathematics , food science , horticulture , materials science , pulp and paper industry , biology , composite material , engineering
Amaranth ( Amaranthus spp.) is a nutritionally dense pseudocereal grown mostly in South America and Asia. Traditionally amaranth seeds are puffed using a hot skillet. Besides being a batch system, in this process there is little control over the temperature and the residence time of the seeds. We have developed a continuous technique for puffing amaranth seeds using a single‐screw extruder with a tapered screw without a die. With this technique we could control the temperature and the residence time for puffing the seeds. It was found that the puffing efficiency of amaranth seeds was a function of temperature and screw speed. The maximum efficiency of 86% was achieved at a barrel temperature of 290C and screw speed of 125 rpm. Sensory analyses with an untrained panel of 33 subjects using samples generated at conditions with puffing efficiency above 75% showed that the sample processed at 250C and 75 rpm was the most acceptable in terms of various sensory attributes and overall liking.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The research aims to develop a new continuous process for the puffing of amaranth seeds. The use of an extruder without a die for puffing these seeds is a novel idea. This process could possibly be used for puffing several other seeds and grains, making it a versatile technology. The sensory work conducted in this paper aims at examining the acceptance of this relatively new product among U.S. consumers.