Corn Bran as a Fibre Source in Expanded Snacks

The potential use of corn bran as a component for manufacturing snacks through thermoplastic extrusion was investigated. Corn bran (180, 250 and 320 g/kg) was blended with corn meal according to incomplete three level factorial design. Moisture (160, 190 and 220 g/kg), extrusion temperature (150, 170 and 190 °C) and glycerol monostearate content (0, 4 and 8 g/kg) were also studied. Dependent variables assessed were radial expansion ratio, longitudinal expansion, specific volume, hardness and fracturability. The snacks were also evaluated by an acceptance test of individual characteristics using a nontrained panel. The attributes evaluated were appearance, palatability and general acceptability. Analysis of variance showed that the best combination of general acceptability, expansion and higher level of fibre was reached on snacks prepared with 250 g/kg corn bran, higher temperature, lower moisture content and medium level of glycerol monostearate. The corn bran content significantly affected the radial expansion ratio, appearance and general acceptability of the product. All of them showed decreased values with increasing corn bran content.