Production and quality evaluation of extruded snack from blends of bambara groundnut flour, cassava starch, and corn bran flour

Protein dense, fiber-rich extruded snacks were produced from blend of bambara groundnut flour, cassava starch, and corn bran flour using a single screw cooking extruder. The snacks were analyzed for their physical properties and proximate composition using standard laboratory procedures. The expansion ratio, specific volume, breaking force, and breaking strength index (BSI) of the snacks ranged from 0.85 to 1.22, 0.75 to 1.30 g/cm³, 3.95 to 36.45 N, and 0.99 to 9.11 N/mm, respectively. The breaking force and BSI were high and increased at increasing levels of cassava starch and corn bran inclusion. Moisture, protein, fat, carbohydrates, crude fiber, and total dietary fiber contents of the snacks were 5.40–10.80, 3.26–17.62, 0.68–10.35%, 60.56–85.03, 0.32–4.78, and 7.36–28.74%, respectively. The study revealed a great potential of obtaining a nutrient dense extruded snack from underutilized plant commodity (bambara groundnut) and waste from corn milling (corn bran).

Practical applications

Findings from this study will find numerous applications in gluten-free products. It is also capable of enhancing the productivity and utilization of bambara groundnut (an underutilized nutritious legume). The study also attempted to add value to waste product of corn milling (corn bran).