Spaghetti developed by substituting semolina with 5, 10, 15, and 20% (w/w) banana starch were evaluated by specific physical and chemical parameters such as chemical composition, resistant starch (RS) content, diameter, bulk density, color, cooked weight, cooking loss, and firmness. They were also evaluated by their sensory attributes. In general, the addition of banana starch promoted a dilution effect on protein, lipid, and ash content, while moisture content was not affected. On the other hand, the content of RS significantly increased ( p50.05) with an increase of banana starch in the spaghetti. Spaghetti containing 5 and 10% of banana starch had similar diameter than the control spaghetti, but the diameter of spaghetti with 15 and 20% banana starch were significantly lower ( p50.05). The bulk density values of spaghetti with banana starch were all similar and not different from the control spaghetti. The values of ΔL* indicated that the color of spaghetti containing banana starch was darker than the control at all levels of substitution, while the values of ΔC* indicated that only spaghetti containing banana starch in the range of 10—20% was less saturated than the control. The evaluation of cooking quality demonstrated that the cooked weight of spaghetti containing banana starch was similar to the control, but their cooking loss was significantly higher and their firmness significantly lower ( p50.05) than the control. However, the values of cooking loss and firmness were in the acceptable range for good quality pasta. Sensory evaluation of the product showed that the addition of banana starch improved the acceptability of the spaghetti. The overall result of this study shows that spaghetti with up to 15% of banana starch addition could have great potential for commercial acceptability as a functional food with high levels of healthy RS.

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The objective of the present study was to evaluate the use of powder made out of Roselle Calyx Wastes (RCP) in developing a biscuit formulation with acceptable sensory value. Roselle calyxes were infused in water in a 1:10 ratio. The residual infused calyxes were dried at 50 °C for 16 h, grounded, sieved through a 50 mesh, and stored in plastic bags until used. The biscuit formulations were enriched with RCP at 0% (BC), 5% (BRCP5), 10% (BRCP10), and 15% (BRCP15). The amount of RCP added to the biscuit formulation did not change the protein content. However, the addition of RCP significantly affected the biscuit’s color; the lightness parameter (L*) decreased as the RP content increased from 69.66 to 49.04. The sensory evaluation showed that the control biscuit and the biscuit enriched with 5% of RP were the best accepted. As for the antiradical activity, the formulation with the highest activity was presented by the BRCP15 (587.43 µmol Trolox/100 g dwb). On the other hand, BRCP5 presented 189.96 µmol Trolox/100 g dwb. Therefore, the biscuit formulation with RCP at a 15% enrichment could be used to commercialize a functional product.

The COVID-19 pandemic generated a new challenge of our time with different scenarios. For this reason, this work aimed to identify changes in the diet and lifestyle of Mexicans during the COVID-19 lockdown. This study was based on a Google online survey, which contained questions about eating habits, physical activity, and sleep behavior before and during the COVID-19 lockdown. It was conducted from 2 June to 4 July 2020 and included 1004 participants (698 women and 306 men 18 years old and above). The subjects reported the increased frequency of consumption of meat, vegetables, fruits, eggs, legumes, fast food, and alcoholic drinks during the lockdown. Furthermore, subjects reported sleeping more hours than usual and negative changes in sleep quality (insomnia, nightmares, and leg pain or cramps). There was a reduction in practicing 30 min of intense physical activity during the week. On the other hand, there was an increase in the number of hours spent in front of the screen. Participants over 36 years of age performed less physical activity during the COVID-19 lockdown. These results indicated that it is vital to develop national strategies to promote healthy lifestyle habits in the population during pandemic lockdown measures.