Nutrient-rich ready-to-eat snacks processed from whole grains of cereals and pulses seasoned with natural ingredients

There is a growing market demand for ready-t-eat, clean label and gluten-free products. However, most of those food products are characterized by high starch and low levels of protein and fiber content, may contributing to the development of chronic degenerative diseases. Snacks with a high content of protein, fiber and functional ingredients are a promising alternative for consumers seeking healthiness and convenience. This study aimed to develop puffed snacks by thermoplastic extrusion using pulses and cereals whole grains. Four formulations based on whole grains of parboiled rice, millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.), chickpeas and carioca beans were added with salt and natural seasonings and extruded in a twin-screw extruder. The snacks were evaluated for volumetric expansion index (VEI), crispiness work (Wc), dietary fiber content, protein, total phenolic compounds (TPC) and antioxidant capacity (ABTS). The formulation with 60% brown rice flour (F1) had the lowest fiber (6.9%) and protein (10.6%) content, however, it exhibited the highest VEI (0.112) and Wc (0.22 N.mm) values, indicating the impact of fiber and protein content on the texture and expansion of snacks. On the other hand, the formulation with 60% chickpeas (F3) had a higher fiber (12.4%) and protein (15.7%) content, with an expansion and crunchiness index of 0.057 and 0.16 N.mm, respectively. F2, with 60% millet flour, stood out in TPC (2,258.4 µg GAE/g) and ABTS (6.9 mmol trolox/g) and F4, with equal proportions of flours (30%), showed promising results in terms of fiber (8.8%) and protein (12.8%) content, in addition to presenting TPC (1679.2 µg GAE/g) and ABTS (4.9 mmol trolox/g) higher than F1 and F3. The use of whole grain flour and pulses processed by thermoplastic extrusion process can be an alternative for the development of gluten-free nutrients rich products also aimed to attend plant based growing market.