با همکاری انجمن علوم و صنایع غذایی ایران
نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 گروه علوم و صنایع غذایی، دانشکده کشاورزی، دانشگاه فردوسی مشهد، مشهد، ایران
2 پژوهشکده علوم و فناوری مواد غذایی، جهاد دانشگاهی خراسان رضوی، مشهد، ایران
کلیدواژهها
عنوان مقاله English
نویسندگان English
Introduction
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine triggered by gluten consumption. The only effective treatment is to follow a strict, lifelong gluten-free diet. However, commercially available gluten-free products often face limitations in terms of quality attributes, such as undesirable texture, poor flavor, and low nutritional value. Consequently, recent research has focused on improving the quality of these products by using alternative flours rich in protein and fiber and employing novel processing methods. Chickpea and quinoa are considered ideal sources for this purpose due to their high nutritional value. However, their use presents challenges, such as off-flavors and poor performance in baking processes. Modification processes like fermentation and extrusion can address these issues by improving the functional, nutritional, and sensory properties of composite flours. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a dual fermentation-extrusion process on the properties of chickpea-quinoa composite flour and the quality of gluten-free muffin cakes produced from it.
Materials and Methods
To prepare the dough, water, sugar, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were added to the modified flour, and the mix was fermented for 24 hours at 37°C. The dough was then dried and subjected to an extrusion process using a twin-screw extruder. Subsequently, two types of flour (modified and raw) along with three different levels of xanthan gum (0, 0.15, and 0.3%) were used to produce gluten-free muffin cakes based on a standard formulation. The physicochemical properties of the flours, including moisture, protein, fat, fiber, ash, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity, were measured according to standard methods. Water absorption and solubility indices (WAI and WSI) were also calculated. To evaluate the produced cakes, parameters such as baking loss, porosity (using image processing), texture hardness (over 7 days of storage), crust color brightness, and sensory attributes (using a five-point hedonic test) were determined. Statistical analyses were performed using a factorial design and Tukey's test at a 95% confidence level.
Results and Discussion
The results of the flour comparison showed that the modified flour, compared to the raw flour, had lower moisture (5.62% vs. 7.13%), higher protein (22.36% vs. 19.84%), higher antioxidant activity (60.47% vs. 54.86%), and higher total polyphenol content (28.73 vs. 23.52 mg GAE/100g). Additionally, the water absorption (WAI) and water solubility (WSI) indices were significantly higher in the processed flour, which contributes to its improved functional properties. In the evaluation of the muffin cakes, samples containing modified flour and 0.15% xanthan gum showed the lowest baking loss, highest porosity, and softest texture. The fermentation and extrusion processes modify the combined flour, by altering the structure of starch and protein, increasing water retention capacity and helped maintain moisture and improving the internal structure of the cake. The rate of texture hardening during the storage period was slower for samples containing modified flour and xanthan gum, indicating a delay in the staling process. Although the crust color of the cakes made from modified flour was darker, these samples received a higher overall acceptability score in the sensory evaluation. The dual processing significantly helped reducing the undesirable beany flavor and improving the aroma and flavor of the end product.
Conclusion
The combined fermentation–extrusion processing of chickpea–quinoa composite flour offers an effective green strategy to improve the nutritional, functional, and sensory quality of gluten-free baked goods. Fermentation enhances protein digestibility, mineral bioavailability, and flavor through bioactive peptide and organic acid formation, while extrusion improves starch gelatinization and protein denaturation, enhancing dough viscoelasticity and reducing off-flavors. The synergistic effect of these processes forms a gluten-like network that increases cake softness and shelf life. The optimal formulation modified chickpea–quinoa flour with 0.15% xanthan gum yielded the highest sensory acceptance, superior texture, and moisture retention, demonstrating the potential of biophysical methods in developing high-quality gluten-free bakery products.
کلیدواژهها English
Authors retain the copyright. This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)
