Physico-chemical, rheological and antioxidant properties of sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) as affected by pan and microwave roasting

Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) belongs to the family Fagaceae and sub family Castaneoideae. Bioactive components such as tannins are present in sweet chestnut in high proportion giving astringent bitter taste and reducing their palatability. Roasting reduces the anti-nutritional factors in chestnut. This study was conducted to compare the effects of pan and microwave roasting on physicochemical, functional, rheological and antioxidant properties of sweet chestnut. Antioxidant activity was determined using DPPH inhibition activity, reducing power, and total phenolic content. Structural analysis was carried out using FT-IR analysis. Protein, fat, and ash contents displayed insignificant (P > 0.05) variations. “L” value decreased from 90.66 to 81.43, whereas, “a” and “b” values increased from 0.02 to 0.90 and 11.99 to 20.5, respectively, upon roasting. Significant (P < 0.05) increase in water absorption capacity (1.32-3.39 g/g), oil absorption capacity (1.22-1.63 g/g), and antioxidant properties was observed following roasting. Flour obtained from roasted chestnuts exhibited a significant decrease in light transmittance, foaming, and pasting properties. Higher gelatinization temperatures and lower enthalpies were reported in microwave and pan roasted chestnut flours. Roasting also reduced the viscoelastic behavior of native sweet chestnut and changed the transmittance of identical functional groups as revealed by FT-IR analysis.

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