Functional, antioxidant, and sensory properties of a ready-to-eat wheat flour snack incorporated with germinated legume flour

Abstract

The present study aimed to develop a protein-rich product by increasing the nutritional properties of a ready-to-eat snack known as “diamond cuts.” Diamond cuts, also known as “papad,” is a crunchy savory snack of South and South-East Asian countries, typically served between meals in India and Pakistan. In this research three legumes, namely, lentils (Lens culinaris), green gram (Vigna radiata), and black gram (Vigna mungo) were sprouted in a jute bag for 24 h. These were ground to form legume flour and were then used in the preparation of diamond cuts. These products were analyzed for moisture content, percentage expansion, pH, textural characteristics, oil content, peroxide value, total phenolic content, total antioxidant capacity, and sensory characteristics. The results showed that diamond cuts containing germinated lentils, green gram, and black gram containing to have higher total phenolic content (2.29 and 1.25 mg/100 g, respectively) and antioxidant activity (90%, 87%, and 84%, respectively) with improved moisture content. It was also observed that diamond cuts with germinated legumes exhibited significantly harder texture compared to their non-germinated counterparts. Also, oil uptake was positively correlated to moisture loss is an important parameter in characterizing the physical properties of fried products. In terms of overall acceptability, all germinated fried snacks were liked significantly higher 7.4 than the snacks containing non-germinated legumes. From the results of sensory evaluation, it is concluded that the incorporation of germinated legumes in diamond cuts would give acceptable color, flavor, and appearance. Therefore, diamond cuts supplemented with germinated legumes could improve the textural, sensory, and nutritional properties of the product.