Development of Jackfruit Crackers: Effects of Starch Type and Jackfruit Level

Crackers are one of the convenient and inexpensive snacks that have high market potential.  Most of the commercial crackers are carbohydrate-rich and normally considered as a low value-added product.  In this study, innovative value added crackers made of jackfruit were developed.  The effect of starches (sago and cassava) and levels of jackfruit (30 and 50%, w/w) on characteristics of the crackers were investigated.  Physicochemical properties of the products at each predetermined processing steps (steaming, drying and frying); bulk density, expansion ratio, color and carotenoid contents were measured.  A decrease in jackfruit level resulted in crackers with lower bulk density (0.26 to 0.41 g/cm3) and higher volume expansion ratio (2.84 to 4.66 cm3).  Blending the cassava and sago starch at 1:1 ratio resulted in lower bulk density and higher expansion ratio compared to crackers made with a single type of starch.  The L* and b* values decreased with drying and frying process, indicative of Maillard reactions.  The higher L* value was influenced by the starch content, while higher jackfruit led increased the b* values, attributed to the presence of pigments in the fruit.  Total carotenoid contents of fried crackers increased following steaming process, ranging from 0.061 to 0.199 mg/100g and samples made with blend of sago and cassava has the highest carotenoid contents.  A jackfruit level of 30% (w/w) made with blend of sago and cassava starches (1:1) produced fried crackers with the most acceptable physicochemical characteristics.  Crackers with improved nutritional value can be developed by incorporating jackfruit, thus expanding the conventional use of the fruit