MSc

Convenience foods have become an integral part of our food habits.
Composite flour technology is a new approach which is done by blending variety of
flours to produce various food products. Aiming to develop better quality extruded
products, the present study entitled “Process optimization of mushroom incorporated
pastas” was proposed with the objectives to standardise mushroom incorporated nutririch pastas and to evaluate its nutritional, organoleptic and shelf life qualities.
Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus florida) was procured from the Department of
Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara. Cassava, elephant foot yam,
jackfruit and breadfruit was procured from homesteads. These were dried, powdered
and sieved to get uniform flour as per the standard procedures. Pastas were prepared
using various proportions of tuber or fruit flours and mushroom flour. Pastas were
subjected to organoleptic evaluation and the best treatment from each set was selected
for nutritional evaluation and health studies. The selected treatments were packed in
HDPE covers and stored for a period of three months. The sensory qualities, total
microflora and insect infestation were recorded in selected samples during the storage
at monthly intervals. The nutritional and health qualities were studied initially and at
the end of the storage period.
From the first set, cassava and mushroom flour incorporated pasta, T3 (70%
cassava flour and 30% mushroom flour), was selected. From the second set, pasta
prepared using elephant foot yam was excluded due to the low acceptability of the
pastas. Third and fourth sets were prepared using jackfruit and breadfruit flours,
respectively. In both, T1 (90% fruit flour and 10% mushroom flour) were selected as
the best. Three best treatments were carried forward to further studies.
Cassava and mushroom flour pastas had 6.85% moisture, 391.52 k Cal energy,
80.60 g/100g carbohydrate, 9.36 g/100g protein, 0.20 g/100g fat, 2.86 g/100g fibre,
67.00 g/100g starch and 0.94 % reducing sugar. Pasta had the mineral content of
54.90 mg/100g calcium, 3.60 mg/100g iron, 12.48 mg/100g sodium, 40.80 mg/100g
magnesium and 292.01 mg/100g potassium.
Jackfruit and mushroom pasta had 6.67% moisture, 334.99 k Cal energy,
78.63 g/100g carbohydrate, 9.48 g/100g protein, 0.39 g/100g fat, 3.60 g/100g fibre,
73.39 g/100g starch and 0.37% reducing sugar. Pasta had the mineral content of 26.10
mg/100g calcium, 1.64mg/100g iron, 6.85 mg/100g sodium, 56.02 mg/100g
magnesium and 324.70 mg/100g potassium.
Breadfruit and mushroom pasta had 6.03% moisture, 320.69 k Cal energy,
73.49 g/100g carbohydrate, 5.40 g/100 g protein, 0.57 g/100 g fat, 7.52 g/100 g fibre,
69.64 g/100 g starch and 2.12 % reducing sugar. Pasta had the mineral content of
37.80 mg/100 g calcium, 0.10 mg/100 g iron, 12.03 mg/100 g sodium, 19.72 mg/100
g magnesium and 511 mg/100 g potassium.
All the selected treatments were subjected to health studies including the in
vitro digestibility of starch and protein and availability of minerals. Cassava and
mushroom pasta had protein and starch digestibility of 83.10 and 61.13 %,
respectively. In vitro availability of the minerals iron, calcium, phosphorous and
magnesium was 37.80, 41.10, 63.17 and 68.12 %, respectively.
Jackfruit and mushroom pasta had protein and starch digestibility of 57.76 and
61.10 %, respectively. In vitro availability of the minerals iron, calcium, phosphorous
and magnesium was 29.40, 41.50, 83.48 and 40.00 %, respectively. Breadfruit and
mushroom pasta had protein and starch digestibility of 69.23 and 52.56 %,
respectively. In vitro availability of the minerals iron, calcium, phosphorous and
magnesium was 39.00, 40.50, 69.00 and 78.24 %, respectively.
Pastas made with tuber flour/ fruit flours were packed in HDPE covers and
were kept for three months of storage in ambient conditions. Organoleptic evaluation
had shown its acceptability up to three months, with gradual decline in all sensory
attributes. In the case of pastas with fruit flour, jackfruit flour and mushroom flour
added pasta were observed to have better score compared to breadfruit flour and
mushroom flour incorporated pastas.
During storage, nutrients, mineral content and in vitro digestibility of starch
and protein of the tuber/fruit flour and mushroom flour pastas decreased.
No insect infestation was observed throughout the storage period. The
microbial population of the selected pastas were assessed at monthly intervals for a
period of three months and was found to be within the safe limits. The cost of pastas
(100g) prepared with cassava flour and mushroom flour was Rs 98.50, whereas it was
Rs 50.50, Rs 52.00 for jackfruit flour and mushroom flour, breadfruit flour and
mushroom flour pastas, respectively.
The current research found that healthy pastas can be prepared with cassava
flour, breadfruit flour and jackfruit flour. Incorporation of mushroom flour to pastas
enhance the nutritional qualities of the products. These products are a better
alternative and could be healthier than commercially available pastas.