Vol. 12, Special Issue 8 (2023)

Author(s):
Kuldeep Naghera and Mukesh Dabhi

Abstract:
Pearl millet, despite its excellent nutrition profile and agronomic traits, has not gained widespread popularity compared to other cereals worldwide. To overcome the limited availability of millets and transfer their health benefits to distant places, the development of globally acceptable food products is essential. The use of a twin-screw extruder allows for precise control over the extrusion process parameters, ensuring uniform product quality. The experiments are conducted under controlled independent parameters, including a die temperature of 120 ℃, screw speed of 275 rpm, and moisture content of 16% w.b. Sensory evaluation is performed to assess the organoleptic attributes of the extruded products. The study investigates six different flour compositions; 100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, and 50:50 (pearl millet flour: chickpea flour). The sensory evaluation is conducted to assess chewiness, hardness, taste, colour, and overall acceptability of the extruded products. A trained sensory panel is employed to evaluate the extruded products based on the selected parameters. Chewiness and hardness are evaluated to measure the texture and mouthfeel of the products. Taste evaluation is conducted to assess the flavor characteristics and palatability. Colour analysis is performed to determine the visual appeal of the products. The panelists provide scores for each attribute using a 9-point hedonic scale, enabling a comparative analysis of the different flour compositions. Based on the sensory evaluation, the composition 70% pearl millet flour and 30% chickpea flour yielded the highest sensory scores and can be considered suitable for the production of extruded products.