Functionality of fruit powders in extruded corn breakfast cereals

Consumer interest in naturally colored foods such as breakfast cereals is growing. Degermed white cornmeal, sucrose, citric acid and dehydrated fruit powder (blueberry, cranberry, Concord grape and raspberry) were mixed in 84.3%:14.3%:0.4%:1.0% proportions, then extruded in a laboratory-scale twin-screw extruder. Feed rate was 255 g/min; water was pumped at a rate of 12.5 g/min; screw speed was 175 rpm. Cooking temperature during extrusion was generally <130 °C. Samples were cut into small spheres and dried to 5% moisture. Cereals were stored at room temperature in opaque bags. The control samples were lighter and less red than the fruit cereals. Soluble phenolics and anthocyanins were higher in the fruit cereals. At three and six weeks of storage, fruit cereals had smaller levels of hexanal, as measured by gas chromatography of headspace of ground cereals. Although anthocyanins from fruit powders survive extrusion and retain some antioxidant activity, the levels used in this study may have been too low. Higher levels of fruit will increase production costs, but the expense may be offset by the more attractive and functional cereals that result.