The aim of this study was to develop a rice-like fortifying grain enriched with anchovy (Engraulis ringens) peptides obtained through extrusion for use as a commercial rice fortifier. The study utilized arrocillo, a by-product of rice processing (Oryza sativa), mixed with anchovy peptides in powdered form obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis. The fortifying grain were optimized using response surface methodology to maximize protein content and degree of similarity to rice while minimizing mass loss during cooking. The optimal formulation consisted of 16.19% hydrolyzed anchovy protein concentrate, 0.19% additive (SIN 471), and 83.64% broken rice flour. The resulting fortifying grain demonstrated a protein content of 18.77%, a similarity score of 6.12 on a scale of 1 to 9 relative to rice, and a cooking mass loss of 8.22%. Industrial scale-up tests validated these results, demonstrating that the developed grain is an ideal rice fortifier due to its high biological value protein content, low cost compared to other animal protein sources, high similarity to rice, and acceptable cooking loss.
Mendoza et al. (Wed,) studied this question.