The aim of this study was to optimize and characterize an extruded snack made with taro flour and mango pulp. A central experimental design composed of the following three variables was used: mango pulp proportion (MPP = 0-10 g/100 g) in taro flour, feed moisture content (FMC = 16-30 g/100 g) and extrusion temperature (zone 4 of extruder) (T = 80-150 °C) using a single-screw extruder with a compression screw ratio of 3:1. Increasing FMC values decreased the torque, pressure, specific mechanical energy (SME), expansion index (EI), water solubility index and pH values and increased the residence time, bulk density (BD), hardness and total colour difference. Increasing T values led to a decrease in the torque, pressure, BD and hardness values, while increasing MPP values only caused a significant increase in the hardness values and β-carotene content and a decrease in the pressure value. The optimal extrusion conditions were T = 135.81 °C, FMC = 18.84 g/100 g and MPP = 7.97 g/100 g, with a desirability value of 0.772, to obtain a snack with EI = 1.52, BD = 0.66 g/cm, hardness = 24.48 N, β-carotene content = 99.1 μg/g and SME = 428.54 J/g. The mango pulp is an available and economical source of β-carotene for the enrichment of extruded expanded taro snacks.

Flowers have traditionally been used in the production of various dishes to improve the sensory aspects of food. In this study, the nutritional and functional composition of cactus flowers was evaluated for their possible use in the food industry. The objective of this research was also to identify the main secondary metabolites of flowers by HPLC/ESI/MS analyses. The findings indicated that the most abundant components of the flowers were carbohydrates, followed by ash and proteins. The highest antioxidant capacity, assessed by DPPH• and ABTS•+ assays, was observed in Echinocereus cinerascens, with values of 255.08 and 392.65 µM Trolox equivalents (TE)/g, respectively. These values were also correlated with a high content of phenolic compounds. Forty-four secondary metabolites were detected in total, of which the most predominant corresponded to compounds such as quercetin and isorhamnetin, as well as their derivatives, protocatechuic acid and apigenin. This study indicates that Cactaceae flowers could be a source of nutrients; in addition, the diversity of compounds and their good antioxidant properties suggest that they should be considered as new sources of natural antioxidant compounds in the elaboration of functional products.

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The aim of the study was to evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of the nut and kernel of the Mexican pink pinion (Pinus pinea L.), as well as the physicochemical and functional properties of whole pink pinion meal (WPPM) as well defatted pink pinion meal (DPPM). The length, width, thickness, geometric diameter, arithmetic diameter, sphericity, aspect ratio, surface area, volume, density and hardness of the nut were higher than those of the kernels. The kernel had the highest coefficient of friction, while the nut had the highest angle of repose. WPPM had high fat and protein contents, at 40.5 g/100 g and 41.1 g/100 g, respectively. The major component of DPPM was protein (64.85 g/100 g). The DPPM had higher water absorption, oil absorption, emulsifying and lower gelation capacities (4%), indicating that the meal is a potential source of protein isolates or additives for functional foods and WPPM in food formulations.