Process standardization for development of nutritionally rich microwave-roasted germinated horsegram (Macrotyloma uniflorum Lam.) snack

Horsegram is an underutilized crop, grown in a wide range of adverse climatic conditions.It is a rich source of protein, minerals, vitamins and many phytochemicals.Use of horsegram is limited due to its poor cooking quality, low nutrient bioavailability and presence of antinutritional factors.Therefore, the present study was undertaken to decrease antinutritional components of horsegram and enhance its marketability in a profitable manner by developing germinated and microwave assisted ready-to-eat snacks (namkeen).For this purpose, three-level factorial design of Response Surface Methodology was employed to analyze the effect of germination temperature (30, 35, and 40°C) and germination time (12, 18, and 24 h) on germination percentage and antinutritional factors (oxalate and tannin).It was observed that germination of horsegram at 34.5°C for 24 h produced maximum germinated seeds (89%), with greater reduction in oxalate (66.84%) and tannin (71.69%) content.The optimized germinated horsegram seeds after mixing with flavoring agents were subjected to different microwave roasting conditions (11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 min for 350 Watt and 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 min for 500 Watt).The observation revealed that roasting of germinated horsegram at 500 Watt for 5 min gave maximum rating (=8) for all the sensory attributes (appearance, odor, taste, texture, and overall acceptability) on 9-point Hedonic scale with desirable textural properties (103.20 N hardness).It was concluded from the study that germinated and roasted horsegram namkeen was more nutritious with fewer antinutritional components.