Understanding the Impact of Non-thermal Processing and CO2 Assisted Extrusion on Antioxidant, Textural and Functional Properties of Corn, Sorghum and Apple Pomace Based Extrudates

Abstract

Currently, there is a worldwide demand for antioxidant rich foods in diet, especially ready to eat foods, i.e. cereals and snacks. In recent years, the research has got momentum to valorize the underutilized crops, i.e. millet, sorghum and industrial food by-products, i.e. fruit pomace to incorporate into main stream of human diet due to their enrichment in nutritional as well as bioactive compounds like phenolic and flavonoid antioxidants. However, most of the phenolic compounds in plant are present in the bound form with the carbohydrates, lignin, pectin and proteins which reduces their ability to function as good antioxidants. Therefore, in the first part of study, selected non-thermal technologies were compared to liberate the bound phenolic acids in the sorghum flour (SF) and apple pomace (AP) in order to enhance their total content in raw materials prior to secondary processing. Starting with the natural fermentation followed by the batch ultrasonication, SF and AP showed a significant (