DEVELOPMENT OF A CONTINUOUS METHOD FOR PUFFING AMARANTH (AMARANTHUS SPP.) SEEDS

• Published in: Journal of food process engineering Vol. 32; no. 2; pp. 265 - 277
• Main Authors: TIKEKAR, ROHAN V, KARWE, MUKUND V
• Format: Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Malden, USA : Blackwell Publishing Inc 01.04.2009; Blackwell Publishing Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Amaranthus; batch systems; Biological and medical sciences; Cereal and baking product industries; continuous systems; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; grains; new products; process control; puffing; seeds; sensory evaluation; sensory properties; South Asia; sowing date; temperature; United States; United States; South Asia; Amaranth; Seeds; Continuous; Pseudocereals; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Amaranthus; Development; Amaranthaceae; Spermatophyta; Puffing; Method
• ISSN: 0145-8876; 1745-4530
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-4530.2007.00215.x

Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) is a nutritionally dense pseudocereal grown mostly in South America and Asia. Traditionally amaranth seeds are puffed using a hot skillet. Besides being a batch system, in this process there is little control over the temperature and the residence time of the seeds. We have developed a continuous technique for puffing amaranth seeds using a single-screw extruder with a tapered screw without a die. With this technique we could control the temperature and the residence time for puffing the seeds. It was found that the puffing efficiency of amaranth seeds was a function of temperature and screw speed. The maximum efficiency of 86% was achieved at a barrel temperature of 290C and screw speed of 125 rpm. Sensory analyses with an untrained panel of 33 subjects using samples generated at conditions with puffing efficiency above 75% showed that the sample processed at 250C and 75 rpm was the most acceptable in terms of various sensory attributes and overall liking. The research aims to develop a new continuous process for the puffing of amaranth seeds. The use of an extruder without a die for puffing these seeds is a novel idea. This process could possibly be used for puffing several other seeds and grains, making it a versatile technology. The sensory work conducted in this paper aims at examining the acceptance of this relatively new product among U.S. consumers.