Development of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) bulb and seed flour-based pasta

Abstract

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is one of the major edible foodstuffs rich in carbohydrates and fiber. This study investigated the reduction of postharvest losses of jackfruits by value addition. Jack fruit seeds (JFS) flour and Jackfruit bulbs (JFB) flour were used as raw material. JFB and JFS were subjected to mechanical drying, grinding and sieving (particle size <200µm) to yield the JFS flour and JFB flour. The composite flour consists of different ratio of JFS, JFB, and cassava flour (CF), corn flour and semolina. The proximate composition, physical properties and cooking characteristics of developed pasta were determined. Sensory attributes of the pasta were evaluated using Hedonic scale (7-points) with 36 semi-trained panelists. The best composite flour formulation was JFS: JFB: semolina: CF: corn flour, at the ratio of 40:40:10:5:5. Crude protein (13.26±0.18%), crude fiber (4.91±0.61%) and ash (3.35±0.04%) were higher in the best selected composite flour than the other treatments. Carbohydrate content (71.28%) was the lowest in T3 formulation. However, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in moisture content among the treatments, whereas, hardness and water activity differed significantly (p<0.05) among the treatments. The best selected formulation exhibited higher water absorption (1.20±0.02 g/g) and cooking time (8.6±0.2 min) than the other treatments while cooking loss (13.3±0.4%) was lower than the other treatments except the control. Lightness value of pasta was decreased with increasing the amount of JFS and JFB flour. In conclusion, value added jackfruit flour pasta has a higher potential for commercialization as a convenient food for the consumers with busy lifestyles.