Rheological and nutritional studies of amaranth enriched wheatchapatti(Indian flat bread)

Abstract

Chapatti made from whole wheat is a popular staple food in India. This article reports incorporation of amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) flour (20-50%) in wheat flour to get improved rolling properties and better nutrition in terms of proteins and micronutrients. Rheological studies of whole wheat flour (control) and amaranth-wheat combinations using farinograph revealed that amaranth flour (AF) addition up to 50% led to a decrease in percentage water absorption (84.80-77.55%) and dough stability (1.6-0.6 min). Stickiness of dough slightly increased (31.2-33.55 g), but there was overall improvement in softness, rollability, and spreadability of dough with increasing levels of AF. Based on texturometer measurement and sensory evaluation of chapattis, incorporation of 40% AF is recommended. Chapatti made from this blend had significantly higher content of ash (iron, calcium, and magnesium), fat, protein, and lysine; it also showed improved in vitro protein digestibility. Practical applicationsIn recent times, pseudo-cereals such as amaranth, quinoa, and buckwheat, which were hitherto not consumed popularly, have attracted the attention of consumers all over the world due to their nutritional profile. Amaranth is a hardy crop which grows vigorously even in drought conditions. It is a rich source of protein, fat, fiber, and minerals. It has a balanced amino acid profile and is particularly rich in lysine. However, its consumption in India is limited to a few traditional products and it has remained largely underutilized. Staple foods like wheat chapatti can be supplemented with amaranth flour for nutritional improvement of the product. An understanding of the influence of AF on dough functionality and chapatti quality would be beneficial from the point of view of product development. This study investigated the effect of AF incorporation on rheological, nutritional, and quality characteristics of chapatti.

Evaluation of technological and nutritional quality of bread enriched with amaranth flour

“…More recently, the investigations with A. hypochondriacus as a bakery ingredient were substituted up to 25 % level (Kamoto et al, 2018) or in specific breads without fermentation (Banerji et al, 2018). However, there is a lack of information about the effect of replacing wheat flour with other amaranth species, such as A. spinosus.…”

Development of amino acid balanced food systems based on wheat flour and oilseed meal

“…The work [9] presents the results of studies regarding the addition of 20 to 50 % amaranth flour to wheat flour in the chapati technology (traditional bread in India). It was found that the content of amaranth flour improves the properties of the dough, reduces water absorption and stability of the dough, and also increases the total content of protein and trace elements in the final product.…”

“…The studies presented in [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] have been carried out using a mixture of wheat flour and flour of various oilseeds or their meal only with the aim of expanding the range of flour products and using secondary processing products, but not to obtain products with increased biological and nutritional value. Therefore, research on the development of food system formulations based on wheat flour, which will have a balanced amino acid composition, is promising.…”

“…The ratio of components of food systems based on wheat flour and the composition of sunflower and soybean meal with improved amino acid composition is justified based on the technological features of wheat flour and its mixtures according to research [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. The calculation of the amino acid composition of the protein of food systems containing 90-80 % of wheat flour and 10-20 % of the composition of soybean and sunflower meal of the improved amino acid composition was performed according to formula (3).…”

“…Correction of the protein content in flour is achieved by the introduction of various natural additives, including oilseed meal. The addition of oilseed meal to wheat flour not only enhances the nutritional and biological value of the latter, but also improves the technological and organoleptic characteristics of flour products obtained from similar combined products [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14].…”