Hydrothermal extraction of dietary fiber from pearl millet bran: optimization, physico-chemical, structural and functional characterization.

Pearl millet bran is rich source of dietary fiber and several other bioactive compounds and is an unexploited by-product of millet processing industries. The utilization of pearl millet bran for extraction of dietary fiber can be an effective method for its valorization. Hydrothermal extraction of dietary fiber from pearl millet bran is a simple eco-friendly technique in terms of minimal consumption of toxic solvents, increased extraction yield, high purity and considered as an economically viable technique. In the present investigation, extraction and optimization of dietary fiber from pearl millet bran was performed using hydrothermal technique. The highest yield of dietary fiber (74.5%, w/w) was obtained under optimized conditions of water to solid ratio (20:1), temperature (90 °C) and time (15 min). The extracted dietary fiber from pearl millet bran was further assessed for its physico-chemical, functional and structural properties. The studies of functional and physico-chemical properties presented the water holding capacity (6.50 g/g and 3.99 g/g), swelling power (2.0 g/g and 2.05 g/g), oil holding capacity (4.91 g/g and 2.42 g/g), solubility (70%), total phenolic content of 4.24 mg GAE/g and 4.32 mg GAE/g, DPPH reduction of 86.6% and 83.9%, respectively. The results indicated that pearl millet bran can act as rich source of dietary fiber with health enhancing properties and can be utilized as potential food component in preparation of functional food products.

Recent Advances in Drumstick (Moringa oleifera) Leaves Bioactive Compounds: Composition, Health Benefits, Bioaccessibility, and Dietary Applications.

Based on the availability of many nutrients, Moringa oleifera tree leaves have been widely employed as nutrients and nutraceuticals in recent years. The leaves contain a small amount of anti-nutritional factors and are abundant in innumerable bioactive compounds. Recently, in several in vivo and in vitro investigations, moringa leaves' bioactive components and functionality are highlighted. Moringa leaves provide several health advantages, including anti-diabetic, antibacterial, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. The high content of phytochemicals, carotenoids, and glucosinolates is responsible for the majority of these activities as reported in the literature. Furthermore, there is growing interest in using moringa as a value-added ingredient in the development of functional foods. Despite substantial study into identifying and measuring these beneficial components from moringa leaves, bioaccessibility and bioavailability studies are lacking. This review emphasizes recent scientific evidence on the dietary and bioactive profiles of moringa leaves, bioavailability, health benefits, and applications in various food products. This study highlights new scientific data on the moringa leaves containing nutrient and bioactive profiles, bioavailability, health benefits, and uses in various food items. Moringa has been extensively used as a health-promoting food additive because of its potent protection against various diseases and the widespread presence of environmental toxins. More research is needed for utilization as well as to study medicinal effects and bioaccesibility of these leaves for development of various drugs and functional foods.

Effect of chemical composition, granule structure and crystalline form of pigmented rice starches on their functional characteristics.

The present research was carried out to analyze the effect of chemical composition, granule morphology and crystalline structure of pigmented rice starches on their functional characteristics. The starches of these rice cultivars were observed to possess novel characteristic as compared to hybrids or non-pigmented cultivars in terms of physicochemical, pasting and thermal characteristics. The diameter of the analyzed starch particles depicted a considerable range varying from 5.139 µm to 8.453 µm as their median particle size visualized at ×50. The color values of the analyzed starch samples indicated a high degree of whiteness and purity. The compact nature of starch granules in Kaw quder and Kaw kareed rice cultivars accounted for their higher transition temperatures as compared to other cultivars. Crystalline pattern by X-Ray diffractometer showed an A-type pattern for analyzing starches. The starch granules showed the irregular polyhedral morphology with spherical granules having a polyhedral angular shaped morphology packed tightly with a relatively smooth surface.

Effect of composition, granular morphology and crystalline structure on the pasting, textural, thermal and sensory characteristics of traditional rice cultivars.

The research was done to analyze the seven different Traditional rice cultivars for their several functional structural and sensory properties. These cultivars were found to score highest as compared to hybrids rice varieties grown in the same regions in terms of sensory and other functional attributes. The moisture, protein, ash, fibre and carbohydrate content varied from 10.84% to 13.18%, 7.25-8.85%, 0.57-1.57%, 0.74-1.67% and 74.76-78.24%. Maximum Paste stability was depicted by these cultivars. The hardness of the rice gels were found to correlate positively with the fat content of their respective cultivars. The gelatinization enthalpy that indicates loss of double helical structure was found highest in Mushki budgi (9.73Jg-1). The granules with pentagonal structure were displayed by Mushki kandi with 3.70-6.74 µm length range. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the rice cultivars depicted A-type XRD pattern. The pigmented cultivars retained pigments upon cooking justified their health benefits in terms of antioxidants. The significance of this research is to analyse the cumulative effects of composition, granule morphology and crystalline pattern of rice cultivars on their several functional characteristics.

Effect of Egg Albumen, Vegetable Oil, Corn Bran, and Cooking Methods on Quality Characteristics of Chicken Nuggets Using Response Surface Methodology.

Response surface methodology was used to study the effect of egg albumen (5-15 g), vegetable oil (5-15 g), and corn bran (5-15 g) on sensory and textural (firmness and toughness) quality of chicken nuggets cooked by the oven, steam, and microwave methods. The egg albumen and vegetable oil had a positive linear effect but corn bran had a negative linear effect at p<0.01 on sensory overall acceptability scores of nuggets. Firmness and toughness scores were increased significantly (p<0.01) with the increase in corn bran level in the formulation. The optimum level of egg albumen, vegetable oil, and corn bran were obtained and validated. Cooking methods also affected the sensory and textural quality of nuggets. Steam cooked nuggets had higher values of sensory scores than oven and microwave cooked nuggets. Oven cooked nuggets showed higher values of firmness and toughness than steam and microwave cooked nuggets. Results of this study suggest that emulsion based meat products can be enriched with dietary fiber source like corn bran without compromising the sensory and textural quality of the products.

Effect of amylose, particle size & morphology on the functionality of starches of traditional rice cultivars.

The research was carried out to investigate the effect of starch powder particle size, morphology, amylose content and varietal effect on physicochemical, X-ray diffraction pattern, thermal and pasting characteristics. The results indicated that starches isolated from seven traditional rice cultivars of temperate region of India have possessed higher yield (82.47-86.83%) with lower degree of granule damage and higher level of starch crystallinity (36.55-39.15%). The water and oil binding capacities were observed to correlate positively with amylose content. The bulk density and color parameters of starches were found to have linked with starch powder particle size coupled with arrangement and morphology of the starch granules. The rice cultivars having smaller starch powder particle size indicated lowest degree of crystallinity. Morphological studies revealed that the starches with tightly packed granules had greater mean granular width, while granules with openly spaced granular morphology depicted the higher values for mean granular length. The peak height index (PHI) among different starches ranged from 1.01 to 2.57 whereas the gelatinization range varied from 10.66 to 10.88. Concluding, the differences in distributional pattern of starch granule size and shape and powder particle size indicated a significant effect on the functional properties of starch.