Effect of pellet moisture on some physical and organoleptic properties of wheat snacks

Snacks are amongst popular foods, therefore improving the quality of the snacks is of great importance. Half-products are a kind of cereal based snacks that are sold in the form of dried pellets and then deep-fried for a few minutes by the consumer to form puffed crispy edible snacks. The main aim of this study was to determine the sufficient pellet moisture content in order to reach an appropriate snack quality. Pellets were produced using a single screw extruder by mixing wheat flour and starch to reach moisture content of 7.5%. The moisture content of the pellets was then adjusted on 5, 10, 12, 14 and 16%. Pellets were deep-fried at 185 °C to reach their maximum volume and then their physical and sensory characteristics were studied. Increasing the moisture content from 5 to 16% reduced the density, increased lightness, reduced redness and yellowness of the snacks. The fracture force to break of snacks reduced with increasing the moisture up to 10% but it reduced with further increase in pellet moisture content. Increasing pellet moisture up to 14% improved the sensory characteristics of the snacks while further increase in the moisture content reduced these properties. Adjustment of the pellet moisture content is a practical solution in the industry to improve the quality of the snacks. The most appropriate moisture content of the pellet was in the range of 10-12%. At higher or lower moisture levels, the sensory characteristics of product were affected, negatively.