Edible Brown Seaweed in Gluten-Free Pasta: Technological and Nutritional Evaluation.

Seaweed is a novel source of important nutritional compounds with interesting biological activities that could be processed into added-value products, namely gluten-free foods. In this study, two previously developed products obtained from Laminaria ochroleuca processing (liquid extract and a purée-like mixture) were incorporated in gluten-free (GF) pasta in order to develop functional products especially designed for the celiac population. The raw and cooked pastas were characterized in terms of their cooking quality parameters, nutritional composition, texture and rheological properties, and antioxidant activity. It was found that the developed GF pastas had similar mechanical and texture characteristics to the control. Both supplemented GF pastas presented a significantly (p < 0.05) higher fibre and mineral content than the control pasta.

Pasta Enrichment with an Amaranth Hydrolysate Affects the Overall Acceptability while Maintaining Antihypertensive Properties.

BACKGROUND: Alcalase-treated amaranth proteins generate angiotensin-1-converting enzyme (ACE-1) inhibitory peptides, which could be useful for functional foods development. Our aim was to evaluate the technological, sensory, and antihypertensive properties of pasta enriched with an amaranth hydrolysate. METHODS: Pasta with 11% (A; control), 15% (B), and 20% (C) of protein content were formulated. Pastas B and C were supplemented with an alcalase-treated amaranth protein concentrate. Cooking time, cooking lost, color, and texture were assessed. An untrained panel (n = 30) evaluated sensory attributes. The antihypertensive effect was evaluated in hypertensive rats. RESULTS: The hydrolysate IC50 was 0.014 mg/mL. Optimum cooking time and cooking loss decreased in products B and C vs. A (p < 0.05). The L* values decreased in pasta C. Firmness increased in pasta C vs. A (p < 0.05). Adhesiveness was different among groups (p < 0.05). Pasta A had the highest acceptability (p < 0.05). The products B and C, and captopril (positive control) showed antihypertensive properties after 3 h of supplementation (p < 0.05). This effect remained after 7 h, 8 h, or 9 h. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of amaranth hydrolysates to pasta negatively impacts on the overall acceptability and, to a lesser extent, on pasta taste. However, it is possible to maintain the antihypertensive properties of the supplemented pasta under physiological conditions.

Assessing gelling properties of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) flour through rheological characterization.

BACKGROUND: Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds are considered a promising ingredient for the development of functional products owing to their high nutritional value: 343 g kg-1 lipids, 251 g kg-1 protein and 226 g kg-1 fibre. Considering chia's technological capacities, mainly the ability to swell when absorbing water and gel-forming properties, its addition to a food matrix can affect texture and rheological behaviour, acting as a texturing and stabilizing agent. The aim of the present work was to assess the gelling properties of chia flour through the rheological characterization of 100, 130 and 150 g kg-1 chia flour gels. RESULTS: According to the mechanical spectra, all gels presented weak gel-like structures, as G' was always less than a decade higher than G″, but higher chia flour concentrations showed a considerable increase in viscoelastic moduli. The gels had relatively low maturation times, almost instantaneous for lower concentrations, but the cooling rate affected the dynamics of formation of the gel structure. CONCLUSION: Based on texture and rheological properties, gels with 130 g kg-1 of chia flour processed at 90 °C for 30 min showed the most suitable characteristics for use in the development of new food applications. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Developing consumer acceptable biscuits enriched with Psyllium fibre.

Consumer's demand for functional food is a trend of the last decades. Nowadays, the attention is focused on the development of products with health claims on the label, which can result in value-added products for the producers companies. Cookies are popular staple foods in the human diet in many countries and are generally well accepted by consumers due to their sensory attributes, long shelf life and convenience. The incorporation of solid components on the biscuit dough, such as dietary fibre, could have serious implications on its structure and perceived texture which explains the technological limitations for the fibre incorporation. The aim of this work is to develop an enriched functional biscuit with Psyllium fibre and understand the impact of the new ingredient on physicochemical and sensorial properties of the dough and biscuits. The optimum biscuit's formulation was determined using the response surface methodology (RSM). Effects of wheat flour (48-52 %) and Psyllium (3-9 %) contents on the dimensional features (spread ratio, expansion factor), water activity, colour parameters (L*, a*, b*), texture characteristics (firmness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, springiness) and sensory properties (colour, flavour, texture, overall acceptability) of dough and biscuits were investigated. The most representative parameters evaluated were used to develop biscuits with similar features to commercial references. An optimum formulation was obtained by incorporating 6 % Psyllium and 50 % flour. This biscuit has the enough amount of Psyllium soluble fibre recommended by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent the risk of coronary heart disease and to bear a health claim on the label.