PREPARATION AND EVALUATION OF FUNCTIONAL CORN SNACKS USING SPIRULINA PROTEIN ISOLATE

Abstract

Extruded grain-based foods have a high starch content, which makes them very energising, but they typically lack a number of nutrients, especially proteins, which are vital for developing children who are energetic and active. So, in this current study, corn snacks were enriched with different levels of Spirulina protein isolates (SpPI) (0, 5, 8, and 10%). Then the nutritional, physicochemical, and functional properties of the snacks were assessed. The obtained results showed that the major essential amino acids in SpPI were leucine and valine. Cysteine, histidine, and methionine were the least abundant amino acids. There was an increase in the moisture, fat, crude fibre, and ash content and a decrease in total carbohydrate content in the snacks as a function of increasing SpPI addition levels. Also, there was an increase in bulk density, water absorbance index, and hardness as well as a decrease in water solubility index and expansion ratio, in the snacks as a function of increasing SpPI addition levels. According to our findings, SpPI supplementation reduced the lightness, yellowness, and redness of snacks but increased their content of amino acids. The sensory evaluation results revealed that all snack samples enriched with SpPI were accepted.