Development of Nutritional Extruded Snacks Incorporating Medicinal Plants

Extrusion cooking is a popular high temperature short time pasteurization (HTST method) for preparing snacks and ready-to-eat food products. This study investigates the incorporation of underutilized medicinal plants ashwagandha, gudwel, ginger, and drumstick leaves into extruded snacks made from sorghum, corn, and millet. A single-screw extruder and response surface methodology (RSM) were used to evaluate the effects of six independent variables on product characteristics such as mass flow rate, bulk density, expansion ratio, water absorption index, texture, color, and sensory attributes. The impact of the independent variable on the dependent variable was shown using the second-order polynomial regression equation. The best-optimized product was prepared at 15% moisture content, 60:30:10 blend ratio, 5% ashwagandha, 9% ginger, 2% gudwel, and 2.5% drumstick leaves powder. The corresponding values for the optimized product were: 0.324 g/s mass flow rate, 0.214 g/s bulk density, 4.326 expansion ratio, 416.68% water absorption index, 627.135 hardness, 9.215 crispness, color L-value 62.447, and overall acceptability 7.870. The optimized extrusion process successfully enhanced the nutritional and sensory properties of medicinal plant-enriched snacks, demonstrating their potential for functional food applications.