Vol. 7, Issue 7 (2018)

Author(s):
Nikhil Narang, Navjot Kaur, Pawandeep Singh, Rahul Saran, Baljit Singh and Savita Sharma

Abstract:
Pearl millet being a good source protein, fiber and mineral can prove to be a great source of product addition to healthy and balanced diet, but it is not being used for consumption on wider scale. The present study was conducted to explore the utilization of pearl millet for the preparation of extruded flakes as an innovative new product. The extruded flakes were prepared at different moisture content (14-18 %), screw speed (425-550 rpm), and barrel-temperature (125-175ºC). The effect of these three processing parameters on expansion Ratio (ER), water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI) were studied. The results showed that feed moisture had highly significant effect on all product responses; as increase in feed moisture reduces water solubility; whereas increase in screw speed increases water solubility. The results of the study revealed that with optimization of extrusion processing conditions pearl millet could be converted into highly acceptable extruded flakes.