Effect of hydrocolloids on the quality and functional characteristics of banana gluten-free pasta.

Abstract

Unripe banana flour pasta products are not preferred by consumers due to their high cooking losses, darker colour, and stickiness caused by low protein levels in the flour. To address these challenges, this study assessed the combined effect of three types of hydrocolloids, namely egg white (EW), guar gum (GG), and xanthan gum (XG), on the quality and functional characteristics of banana flour–based pasta. The pasta samples were made using distilled water (36.1 – 40.1%), wheat flour (60.6%), banana flour (36.0%) with varying levels of hydrocolloids (18 – 22% and 0.5 – 4.5%). The samples were dried overnight and stored in sealed and airtight plastics pending further analysis. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and response surface regression analysis were used to analyse relationships between inclusion levels of hydrocolloids and the quality and functional characteristics of the pasta. The cooking time, and hardness of the pasta showed linear and quadratic increases (p<0.05) in response to incremental levels of the hydrocolloids. However, the cooking loss showed a linear decrease (p<0.05) in response to incremental levels of the hydrocolloids. The adhesiveness of the pasta showed linear increase (p<0.05) in response to incremental levels of EW and XG, whilst that of pasta containing GG showed linear decrease (p<0.05). The colour parameters of the uncooked pasta showed linear and quadratic increases (p<0.05) in response to incremental levels of the hydrocolloids. However, the colour of the cooked pasta, except for lightness showed a linear and quadratic decrease (p<0.05) in response to incremental levels of the hydrocolloids. The pasting properties of pasta containing EW showed a linear decrease (p<0.05) in response to incremental levels of EW. In contrast, the pasting properties of pasta containing GG and XG showed a linear increase (p<0.05) in response to incremental levels of the hydrocolloids. Moreover, xanthan gum was the only hydrocolloid that significantly influenced (p<0.05) the gel texture of the paste. The findings of the present study demonstrated that hydrocolloids can enhance the quality and functional characteristics of banana flour-based pasta. However, the influence of hydrocolloids dependent on the type (source) and their inclusion levels. To optimize quality and functional characteristics texture of the banana flour pasta, inclusion levels of EW should be 19% while those of GG and XG should be 2 – 3%. The findings of study could be used to enhance the quality and functional characteristics of other gluten-free pasta products to improve food security and consumer acceptability.