Fresh Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) Fruits as Valuable Additive in Extruded Snack Pellets: Selected Nutritional and Physiochemical Properties

Abstract

In this paper, the nutritional value and (selected) physiochemical properties of extruded snack pellets enriched with fresh chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) fruits were analyzed from the perspective of being a new product for the functional food sector. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the addition of fresh chokeberry and variation in content and screw speed on extruded snack pellet basic compositions, fatty acid profiles, antioxidant activity, as well as water absorption and solubility indexes, fat absorption and color profiles. The obtained results revealed a significant increase in antioxidant activity for all samples (above 90% of free radical scavenging) in comparison to potato-based control samples (just over 20% of free radical scavenging). The total phenolic content assay revealed the most valuable results for samples enriched with 30% chokeberry, while Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) analysis allowed the determination of the most important phenolic acids. Of interest, chokeberry addition decreased the fat absorption index (FAI) after expansion by frying. Moreover, the highest values of crude protein and crude ash were observed in snack pellets supplemented by the application of 30% chokeberry. In such samples, the crude protein content was at the level of 4.75–4.87 g 100 g−1 and crude ash content at 4.88–5.07 g 100 g−1. Moreover, saturated fatty acids (SFA) content was lower in snack pellets with chokeberry addition, and increasing the amount of chokeberry additive from 10% to 30% in extruded snack pellet recipes resulted in more than double an increase in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) proportion in the total fatty acids.

Extrusion of Rice and Aronia melanocarpa Pomace: Physical and Functional Characteristics of Extrudates

“…The effect of working screw speed on the WSI was clearly expressed at high level of feed moisture than at low level, where the effect was invisible. The increase in the screw speed led to stronger shear forces during the extrusion process, thus making the processed components more fragmented and much easier to elute [7]. The WSI varied from 22.3 to 26.4% of extrudates from chokeberry pomace with the twin screw extruder [24].…”

“…Our values were higher, from 4.28 g/g to 6.56 g/g, which can be explained by the use of rice as main raw material for extrusion in our study. Wójtowicz et al [7] found that the increase in chokeberry amount in the initial mixture increased the water absorption of the snack pellets. This is in accordance with our results and can probably be explained by the increase in the number of components able to absorb water, like fibers and proteins [43].…”

“…They also secrete free radicals, reduce oxidative stress and prevent cell damage [6]. Besides polyphenols, fruits are a good source of vitamins, especially vitamin C and vitamin K. Aronia berries are also rich in minerals, including potassium, calcium, iron and manganese [7]. All these bioactive compounds explain their health benefits (antioxidative, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, hypotensive, antiviral, antidiabetic, antiplatelet, and anti-atherosclerotic), as well as their popularity and use in food and biotechnological production [8].…”

Chemical Composition, Nutritional, and Biological Properties of Extracts Obtained with Different Techniques from Aronia melanocarpa Berries

“…Native Americans used A. melanocarpa berries for food and medicinal application, in particular as an infusion to treat colds, while the bark was used as an astringent [ 5 , 8 , 9 ]. The A. melanocarpa edible black berries (diameter of about 1 cm), characterized by a little sour and astringent flavor [ 5 , 8 ], are used in the food industry for the production of syrups, juices, jams, and jellies (thanks to the presence of pectin), preserves, purees, nectars, wines, schnapps, tinctures, fruit infusions (tea), baked products, fruit desserts, and food supplements [ 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. The harvest of chokeberries is generally performed during August and September [ 5 , 8 , 11 ].…”

“…A. melanocarpa berries are widely recognized as a valuable source of bioactive phenolic compounds such as flavonoids (mainly anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, flavanols, and flavonols), phenolic acids (chlorogenic, neochlorogenic, caffeic), and tannins [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Polyphenolic compounds represent the most important constituents of black A. melanocarpa berries, accounting for 10.6–197.0 mg/g dry weight (dw) and 6.9–25.6 mg/g fresh weight (fw) as gallic acid equivalents [ 5 , 8 ], and the water-soluble pigment anthocyanins are responsible for the characteristic chokeberry black and dark blue/violet color [ 9 , 11 ].…”