Hydrocolloids can act as gluten substitutes to form the structural equivalents of the gluten network in gluten-free bakery products. “Purple yam” (Dioscorea alata) is one of the underutilized yams in Sri Lanka with high nutritional potential. The overall objective of this study was to develop gluten-free muffins using “Purple yam” (Dioscorea alata) flour with hydrocolloids (pectin, xanthan gum, and guar gum) and investigate the nutritional composition and selected properties of the muffins. The texture profiles of gluten-free muffins were analyzed through the following parameters: hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, etc. The chromameter values were obtained and sensory evaluations for gluten-free muffins were carried out. The highest moisture content was recorded in pectin-incorporated muffins ( 17.70 ± 0.50 % ). The protein content of all three types of muffins was around 5%. The highest fat content was recorded in pectin-incorporated muffins ( 19.26 ± 0.51 % ). The ash content of all three types of muffins was around 2%. Potassium was the most predominant element found in each muffin. The hardness of guar gum-incorporated muffin ( 6379.3 ± 135.9   g ) was greater than that of the pectin-incorporated one ( 6082.3 ± 23.4   g ). Xanthan gum-incorporated muffins had significantly decreased cohesiveness ( 0.19 ± 0.04 ). The highest springiness was obtained in pectin-incorporated muffin ( 37.13 ± 1.61   mm ). The descending order of the chewiness of muffin is pectin − added > xanthan   gum − added > guar   gum − added sample. According to the sensory evaluation, pectin-incorporated muffin was the best as it had obtained the highest sum of ranks for appearance, color, taste, after taste, and overall acceptability.

Bubble tea is a trending food product around the globe and capture a high demand in the high-end market in Asian region as well. This product contains a chewy bubble in enhancing the palatability and the acceptability of the final bubble tea product, which is made with cassava starch. Cassava is an important high caloric tropical food crop, yet has a limited utilization due to its perishability and high cyanide content. Industrial processing of cassava into several food products is one of the most preferred solution for this and thus, tapioca pearl production is also one of the major food application of cassava starch. So the main objective of this study to develop a standardized and much preferred method of tapioca pearl production, and develop a tapioca pearl to be incorporated in bubble tea with higher sensory acceptance, and lower cost. A standard procedure was developed after several trials, and considering the economic benefit, cassava flour incorporated pearls were also tried. The made pearls were subjected to sensory evaluation, proximate composition and cyanide content analysis, as well as texture profile analysis, and finally, the microbiological stability of the product was also checked under refrigerated storage conditions. According to the obtained results, the final product was sensory accepted (p<0.05) over the commercially available product and had a laboratory proven shelf life of 30 days under refrigerated storage conditions.

Bubble tea is a trending food product around the globe and capture a high demand in the high-end market in Asian region as well. This product contains a chewy bubble in enhancing the palatability and the acceptability of the final bubble tea product, which is made with cassava starch. Cassava is an important high caloric tropical food crop, yet has a limited utilization due to its perishability and high cyanide content. Industrial processing of cassava into several food products is one of the most preferred solution for this and thus, tapioca pearl production is also one of the major food application of cassava starch. So the main objective of this study to develop a standardized and much preferred method of tapioca pearl production, and develop a tapioca pearl to be incorporated in bubble tea with higher sensory acceptance, and lower cost. A standard procedure was developed after several trials, and considering the economic benefit, cassava flour incorporated pearls were also tried. The made pearls were subjected to sensory evaluation, proximate composition and cyanide content analysis, as well as texture profile analysis, and finally, the microbiological stability of the product was also checked under refrigerated storage conditions. According to the obtained results, the final product was sensory accepted (p<0.05) over the commercially available product and had a laboratory proven shelf life of 30 days under refrigerated storage conditions.