Development of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) Inulin extruded Snacks and Evaluation of their Prebiotic and Safety Potentials

Abstract

Ogunremi. Development of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) Inulin extruded snacks and evaluation of their prebiotics and safety potentials. Journal of Food Science and Nutrition Research 5 358-370. Abstract Food industries are currently facing the challenge of meeting consumers’ demand for functional foods that provide additional health benefits. Development of appropriate extruded food snacks with inulin inclusion and its associated prebiotic benefits has not be fully exploited. This work is therefore aimed at bridging this gap. Okra pod ( Abelmoschus esculentus L) inulin was blended with rice flour and other raw material inputs (sugar, salt, fat and water). These were subjected to extrusion conditions (feed rate: 300g/min, barrel temperature: 125 o C and internal pressure: 20.5x10 -5 N/M 2 ) for 30min. Thereafter, the extrudates were air cooled at room temperature. The resulting extrudates were subjected to bifidogenic invitro