Development of ready-to-eat breakfast flakes with green banana (musa acuminata) and jackfruit seeds (artocarpus heterophyllus) flour: a comprehensive analysis of nutritional and functional properties

Abstract

Green banana flour (GBF) and jackfruit seed flour (JSF) present sustainable solutions for reducing banana waste and offering a gluten-free alternative in the food industry. The present study explores the feasibility of a composite mixture of GBF and JSF as a nutritious option for preparing breakfast flakes, evaluating their proximate composition and functional properties. The flakes were formulated with 15% JSF and varying ratios of GBF and Corn flour (w/w); T1 (50:35) T2 (60:25), T3 (70:15), T4 (80:5), and a control sample (C) with 100% corn flour. Physico-functional properties of GBF and JSF, proximate composition and antioxidant activity of the breakfast flakes were determined using standard protocols. Sensory evaluation was conducted by a semi-trained panel using a 5-point hedonic scale. The physico-functional data suggested JSF had higher water absorption (24.66±0.58%) and oil absorption (52.33±2.52%) than GBF (5.08±0.38%, 6.14±0.38%). In the sensory data, the T3 sample exhibited the highest scores for taste (4.03±0.91), texture (3.73±0.87), crunchiness (4.03±0.13), and overall acceptability (3.90±0.95). Incorporating GBF and JSF positively impacted nutritional content, with T4 showing the highest crude fibre levels (5.86±0.11%) and total ash content (2.84±0.05%). Additionally, antioxidant activity was significantly elevated (P<0.05) in flakes with GBF and JSF, with the highest observed in T4 (19.70±0.14%) followed by T3 (18.66±0.13). Storage study data confirmed a shelf-life of 4 weeks for the developed flake samples without added preservatives at room temperature. Therefore, the present study demonstrates the potential of GBF and JSF as a healthy alternative in the bakery industry, offering both nutritional benefits and favourable sensory properties.