The effects of extrusion cooking on antinutritional factors, chemical propertiesand contaminating microorganisms of food

Extrusion cooking technology is a rapid processing method involving high temperature and pressure that is used to prepare a variety of processed foods. HTST processes are preferred because of the retention of nutrients in the product. In addition to the usual benefits of these processes,extrusion offers the possibility of modifying the functional properties of food ingredients and/or of texturizing them. Like other processes for heat treatment of food, extrusion cooking may have both beneficial and undesirable effects on nutritional value. Beneficial effects include gelatinisation of starch, destruction of antinutritional factors, increased soluble dietary fibres, reduction of lipid oxidation and contaminating microorganisms and retains natural colours and flavours of foods. Despite these advantages, occurrence of Mailard reaction that leads to reduce the nutritional value of the protein and loss of heat-labile vitamins are the disadvantages of this process. Careful control of process parameters is essential to obtain a nutritionally balanced extruded product. The present paper reviews the beneficial effects of extrusion cooking technology as a process with high performance in the food industry.

Extrusion Cooking, Contaminating Microorganisms, AntinutritionalFactors, Functional Properties