Quality characteristics of functional snack foods prepared from hazelnut shell and teff flour

Abstract

In this study, snacks were prepared by combining hazelnut shell, teff flour, persimmon powder, almond milk, carob flour, and quince seed mucilage. The snack properties were assessed by analyzing physical (water holding capacity (WHC), water solubility index (WSI), shrinkage ratio, and color change), chemical (ash, protein, fat, dietary fiber, and total phenolic content), textural (hardness and fracturability), and sensory (appearance, taste, odor, and texture) properties. An increase in hazelnut shell content resulted in lower WHC and WSI, but higher shrinkage value. Snacks produced with hazelnut shell became lighter (L*: 34.53-38.61) compared to the control sample (L*: 23.22). The proximate composition of the snacks mostly differed in protein content (11.52-12.94%), total dietary fiber (31.91-44.96%), and total phenolic contents (2.20-2.77 mg GAE/g sample) compared to the control sample. However, Ca (0.241-0.246 g/100 g) and Mg (0.145-0.161 g/100 g) contents showed no significant difference (p > 0.05) among all the snacks and the control sample. Compared to the control (732.27 g), hardness values (223.20-683.20 g) of the snacks decreased with increasing hazelnut shell incorporation. Sensory evaluation revealed that the increasing hazelnut shell and mucilage concentration resulted in increasing taste and odor features of snacks. Additionally, the newly formulated snack product containing hazelnut shell and persimmon powder received higher sensory scores than the control samples.