Evaluation of the physicochemical and technological characteristics of extruded feed for rodents with gluten

Abstract

Animals such as rodents are used as a tool for experimental studies in various areas of research. Therefore, in order to enable future in vivo tests of the impact of gluten on rodent health, the following paper aims to produce and technologically characterize rodent feed with the addition of gluten. A single-screw extruder was used to produce the samples. Four formulations were tested, increasing the amount of wheat added to each mix. The physicochemical and technological properties of the feed were determined, including a centesimal analysis, expansion index, water absorption index (WAI) and water solubility index (WSI). The results showed that the addition of wheat increased the crude protein content, a parameter that had a major influence on the expansion index and WSI. In the case of the expansion index, the increased protein content was possibly the cause of the increase in this parameter; for the WSI, the presence of proteins had the same effect, due to the denaturation of these biopolymers. In general, the results are positive in terms of nutritional composition, but more studies are needed to understand the consequences of adding gluten to feed.