Integrating green banana and cauliflower into whole wheat pasta: Approaches to enhance nutritional benefits while maintaining quality

This study aimed to formulate whole wheat flour (WWF) pasta fortified by several flour varieties like green banana flour (GBF), cauliflower powder (CF), onion powder (OP) and garlic powder (GP). In comparison to the commercial (control) pasta, WWF pasta and pasta fortified with GBF, CF, OP, and GP were found to have significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher levels of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, micronutrients, total phenolic, flavonoid, and antioxidant content, as well as in-vitro antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS). Among different formulation, 33.0 % WWF replacement with different flour showed highest dietary fiber and antioxidant content. The soluble and insoluble dietary fiber was increased 1.03 to 6.81 g/100 g and 4.07 to 14.26 g/100 g respectively whereas optimum cooking time, cooking loss and water uptake increased 6.90 %, 13.63 % and 61.93 % respectively. The effects were also found in changes in color coordinates. In comparison to the control sample, it was demonstrated that all the developed pasta increased the lightness (L*), yellowness (b*), and lowered the redness (a*), and whiteness (W). Pasta's adhesiveness (0.04 to 0.11 J/m³), stickiness (0.80 to 1.19 N), cohesiveness (0.31 to 0.43) and gumminess (40 to 51 N) increased while its hardness (124 to 98 N), chewiness (34 to 28 N), and springiness (0.79 to 0.66) decreased when 33.0 % fortified pasta compared with control pasta. The sensory panel ranked the control pasta as the most preferred among all the samples in this study, with the 20 % GBF-enriched pasta receiving the second-highest overall acceptability score. Notably, none of the laboratory-produced pasta samples were found to be unappealing. Even it does not have the same technological and sensory quality as commercial pasta, fortified whole wheat flour pasta has a greater antioxidant and dietary fiber content, which is equal to 46 % and 80 % of the required dietary intake recommendation, respectively for 100 g developed pasta consumption. Therefore, our findings imply that in the future food business, dietary fiber and antioxidant-enhanced pasta may be formulated with whole wheat flour, green banana flour, cauliflower, onion, and garlic powder.