Abstract:
Palmyrah tuber flour has the similar properties of gluten which can be used in
bakery industry. However, it is still underutilized and the feasibility of applying the
flour in bakery products is not deeply studied so far. This study analysed the
possibility of using unboiled Palmyrah raw tuber flour as a partial replacement of
wheat flour and formulate a spicy-snacks (SN). Two trials were done, one was to
select the suitable flour ratio and another was to select the suitable baking
temperature for SN. In the first trial three treatments were done by changing
Palmyrah tuber flour and wheat flour ratio as, T1; 3:1, T2; 1:1 and T3; 1:3
respectively. Second trial was done by changing baking temperature as 150 °C, 160
°C and 170 °C while keeping the baking time constant as 10 minutes. The 5 point
hedonic scale sensory test was used and attributes such as crispiness, texture,
appearance and aroma were evaluated by thirty semi trained panellists. Results
revealed the treatment T3; 1:3 as best mixtures and 160 °C as suitable baking
temperature. Triplicates of formulated SN were Proximate analysed for using AOAC
2000 procedures. Moisture content, water activity and acid insoluble fat were found
2.8±0.03%, 0.296±0.06% and 0.2±0.04% respectively and these values were within
the limits indicated in SLS 256: 210. Developed spicy-snacks were stored in low
density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE) and metalized
polypropylene (MP) bags and parameters such as moisture, water activity and TPC
test were monitored in 14 days interval for the shelf life studies. Moisture, water
activity and TPC of SN inside the MP bags showed lower value as 3.23%, 0.42 and
3.36×103 CFU/g respectively after 28 days. Results revealed that SN was more
stable in MP bags. Further studies can be done to increase the utilization of
Palmyrah tuber flour in the baking industry.
