Physicochemical properties and carotenoid content of extruded and non-extruded corn and peach palm (Bactris gasipaes, Kunth)

•Corn grits and peach palm flours were processed by thermoplastic extrusion.•Addition of peach palm flour affected the functional properties of the extrudates.•Other lipids complexes formed with peach palm flour observed by x-ray diffraction.•Total carotenoid content was not affected by extrusion.

Increasing demands for ready-to-eat products that also involve claims of being healthy food have motivated the investigation of new sources of foods, such as regional fruits with high carotenoid content. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of extrusion on the physicochemical properties and carotenoid content of corn with added peach palm pulp flour (0, 15 and 25 g/100 g). The chemical composition and total and profile of carotenoids were measured in raw and extrudate materials. Data on the sectional expansion, apparent density, paste viscosity, X-ray diffraction, and image analysis were collected from the extrudates. The sectional expansion reduced from 6.1 to 3.8 as peach pulp flour increased and the apparent density increased from 0.22 to 0.35 g/cm3. The paste viscosity profile was influenced by the addition of peach palm pulp flour, which reduced the cold peak viscosity from 244.0 to 60.5 mPa.s and increased the peak viscosity from 149.0 to 306.3 mPa.s. The extruded blends showed V-type crystals; however, other peaks appeared, indicating the formation of other complex forms of lipids. Red palm raw flour presented higher β-carotene content (8.1 μg/g), which was the major isomer. The total carotenoid content did not decrease with extrusion.