Ruixin Liu

The study intended to assess the impacts of partially replacing wheat flour with Acheta domesticus powder (AD) and Antheraea pernyi pupae powder (AP) at 5%, 10%, and 15% levels on the proximate composition, color properties, texture profile, antioxidant capacity, starch digestibility, and flavor characteristics of Chinese steamed bread (CSB). The addition of AP and AD notably increased the levels of protein, fat, and ash and also led to an elevated chewiness and hardness. Most importantly, compared to the control, AP- and AD-fortified CSB exhibited a significantly low estimated glycemic index (eGI) and high total phenolic and flavonoid contents, resulting in improved DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities. Furthermore, E-nose, E-tongue, and GC-MS analysis revealed that incorporation of AP and AD strengthened umami and saltiness and enriched the flavor profile of CSB. Our findings indicate that AD- and AP-fortified CSB is a promising functional food with a lower eGI, as well as improved nutritional value and antioxidant potential, offering a sustainable strategy for staple food innovation while also providing guidance for consumers to select wheat flour fortified with different types and levels of insect powder to prepare CSB based on their preferences.

To enhance the nutritional and functional properties of triticale noodles, this study assessed their proximate composition, sensory attributes, and antioxidant activity, along with protein and starch digestibilities when supplemented with varying concentrations (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%) of silkworm (Antheraea pernyi and Bombyx mori) pupa powder (SP). Incorporating SP into triticale noodles led to significant enhancements in protein, fat, and ash contents (p < 0.05). The addition of SP may also lead to noticeable color and texture differences by decreasing the lightness (L*) and increasing hardness and springiness in noodles, as well as the flavor difference revealed by E-nose and E-tongue analysis. Furthermore, the total phenolic content and abilities to scavenge DPPH and ABTS radicals improved as the SP level increased. Compared to the control, the SP-fortified noodles had a significantly high in vitro protein digestibility but a low estimated glycemic index. Overall, due to their enhanced nutritional value and bioactivities, SP triticale noodles could be regarded as a healthier alternative to traditional noodles.

Heat–moisture treatment (HMT) is a widely used method for modifying starch properties with the potential to reduce the digestibility of high-amylose starch (HAS). This study aimed to optimize the HMT conditions for HAS and apply the resulting HMT-HAS to triticale noodles to develop low-glycemic-index products. HMT significantly increased the resistant starch (RS) content and decreased the rapidly digestible starch (RDS) content of HAS. The treatment conditions—temperature, heating time, and moisture content—were found to significantly influence the starch composition. Optimal HMT conditions were determined using response surface methodology: a temperature of 108 °C, a heating time of 5.8 h, and a moisture content of 25.50%. Under these conditions, the RS content of HMT-HAS was 60.23%, nearly double that of the untreated sample. Increasing the level of HMT-HAS in triticale noodles led to significant decreases in short-range order, relative crystallinity, and viscosities, while the RS content increased from 12.08% to 34.41%. These findings suggest that incorporating HMT-HAS into triticale noodles effectively enhances starch digestive resistance, supporting the development of functional, low-glycemic-index triticale-based foods.

Water boiling under atmospheric pressure (CAP) and water boiling under high pressure (CHP) are two popular domestic cooking methods for Chinese porridge making. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of these two methods on the phenolic acid composition, antioxidant activity, and starch digestibility of triticale porridges. The contents of total free and total bound phenolic acids in the CHP sample were 1.3 and 1.6 times higher than those in the CAP counterpart, respectively, although the DPPH and ABTS values of these two samples were comparable. CAP induced more small pieces of starch than CHP, and the gelatinization enthalpy was 19% higher in the CHP sample than that in the CAP. Both cooking methods increased the starch digestibility, while the CHP sample (58.84) showed a lower GI than the CAP (61.52). These results may promote the application of triticale in health-promoting staple foods.