Comparative Evaluation of Antioxidant Potential in Thermally Processed, Underutilized Food Grains of the Himalayan Region

Abstract

Aims: To determine the bioactive components and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in selected underutilized crops of the Himalayan region viz. Barnyard millet, Grain amaranth, Rice bean, Black soybean and Horsegram.
 Study Design: Experimental design (Lab experiment).
 Place and Duration of Study: Department of Foods and Nutrition, College of Home Science, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, in the year 2016-18.
 Methodology: We applied different processing techniques (covered pan cooking and pressure cooking) in the underutilized crops and analyzed the total phenol, total flavonoids and total antioxidant capacity (Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay and (2, 2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) (DPPH) by using standard methods.
 Results: It was found that black soybean had highest phenolic content after both thermal treatments (3233.76 mg GAE/100 g for pan cooked and 1883.11 mg GAE/100 g for pressure cooked samples) and TAC by both FRAP (6423.76 mg TE/100 g for pan-cooked and 4415.58 mg TE/100 g for pressure cooked) and DPPH (536.41 and 453.98 mg TE/100g for pan and pressure cooked samples, respectively) method. Among raw samples, rice bean contained the highest flavonoid content and TAC by FRAP assay. In contrast, raw grain Amaranth showed the lowest phenolic content. Further, pressure cooking was found to be better for barnyard millet, while in pulses, pan cooking yielded the best results (in terms of increased value/lower losses).
 Conclusion: It can be concluded that among pulses pan cooked black soybean was found to have a good store of bioactive compounds as compared to rice bean and horse gram. The pressure cooking method was found to be suitable for millet like a barnyard.

Formulation, process optimization, and quality evaluation of barnyard millet ( Echinochloa frumentacea )‐based ready‐to‐eat ( RTE ) extruded snack

“…Extraction of bioactive components found in the optimized extruded snack was carried out following the method given by Dutta et al (2019) with slight changes. Extruded snack sample weighing (1.5 g) was extracted with 85% aqueous methanol and acidified to pH 2.0 with 6 N HCL by stirring in a magnetic stirrer for 30 min.…”

“…Usually, the flavonoids remain stable during extrusion cooking (Patil et al, 2016), which may be the reason for the flavonoid retention in this study. Besides, the high flavonoid content of extruded snack may be due to the flavonoids found in barnyard millet (Dutta et al, 2019) and Indian gooseberry (Filipiak-Szok et al, 2012).…”

“…Barnyard millet ( Echinochloa frumentacea ) is the fast‐growing millet known to get mature within 60 days of the sowing period (Dutta et al, 2019). It is one of the nutritious millet containing slowly digestible carbohydrates (51.50–68.80 g/100 g), good quality protein (10.50–12.70 g/100 g), and excellent fiber content (8.10–16.30 g/100 g) (Chandel et al, 2014; Renganathan et al, 2020; Singh et al, 2010; Ugare et al, 2014; Veena et al, 2005).…”

Assessment of Indian cooking practices and cookwares on nutritional security: A review

“…Another similar study has shown that the loss of vitamin C in pressure cooking was more as compared to open pan cooking of cabbage and Ethiopian green collard (Hailemariam and Wudineh, 2020). Dutta et al (2019) has suggested that millets are rich in micronutrients and provide a balanced diet if consumed in an adequate amount. The study also implies that bioactive components (phenolic and flavonoids) of millets reduce as the temperature and pressure increases (Figure 1-E).…”