Fiber Enrichment in Noodles using Banana Pseudo stem (Musa paradaisiaca)
Background: Despite the fondness for noodles, consumers in India hold the notion that noodles are being made from maida which is seen as product with low fiber. Hence an attempt was made to develop fiber enriched noodles by incorporating banana pseudo stem tender core powder (BPP) as a fiber source.Methods: BPP was incorporated at different levels viz. 5, 10 and 15% in which 5% was found to be the best based on cooking characteristics and sensory evaluation. The noodles thus prepared were packed in flexible polyethylene pouches and stored at room temperature and were further analyzed for physicochemical, cooking, sensory and colour characteristics at regular intervals of 60 days till 180 days of storage. Result: All the analysis showed the non significant difference during the storage period stating that the product is good till 180 days of storage. The dietary fiber was found to increase from 3.35 to 4.74% and in vitro method of glycemic index (GI) analysis showed that the fiber noodle was a low GI food when compared to the medium GI of control. The MUFA and PUFA content of BPP noodles were increased when compared to control.