Effect of popping on physico-chemical and nutritional parameters of amaranth grain

Raushan Khan and Anuradha Dutta, Dep. of food and Nutrition, College of Home Science GBPUA&T, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India, Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2018; 7(3): 954-958

Processing has a major role in altering the physical, functional and chemical properties of raw produce. This study evaluated the parameters associated with popping as well as its effect on the functional properties of Amaranthus hybridus grains cultivated in Uttarakhand, India. Flour characteristics such as water and oil absorption capacity, bulk density, foaming capacity and stability of both the raw and popped forms of grains were analyzed. Popping characteristics such as popping quality, volume, expansion volume, ratio and percent flour recovery were also observed. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to judge the differences. Popping significantly enhanced and improved the flour properties as water and oil absorption capacity, whereas a decrease was observed in bulk density and foam capacity after processing. Moisture, crude ash, crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber showcased significant decrease due to popping whereas carbohydrate as a difference showed significant increase after popping. The properties of raw and popped amaranth flour indicate its suitability for use as a substitute for other flour based food products commonly consumed by Indians, which in turns provides wide scope of its utilization in food industry.

Keywords: popping, flour characteristics, nutritional properties