Process optimization and characterization of 'sev' (traditional Indian extruded snack) with the incorporation of mushroom powder.

Mushroom is a nutritious and palatable food with various health attributes. The mushroom powder is a rich source of vegetable protein. In the present study, efforts were made to optimize the process for making 'sev', a traditional Indian extruded snack, with the incorporation of mushroom powder (Agaricus bisporus) to the Bengal gram (Cicer arietinum L.) flour ('besan'). Response surface methodology with central composite rotary design was used to determine the optimum level of various ingredients for 'sev' which was then analyzed for various physicochemical and sensory characteristics. Storage studies of mushroom 'sev' (with and without rice starch/mashed potato) were done at 37 ± 1 °C. The product containing rice starch was found to be highly acceptable over that with mashed potato. The optimized mushroom 'sev' contains 7.93% mushroom powder, 8.91% rice flour, 75.95% Bengal gram flour and 7.2% other ingredients with high scores for different sensory attributes viz., colour (8.4), appearance (8.3), flavour (8.3), texture (8.5) and overall acceptability (8.4). The mushroom powder based 'sev' had 2.79% higher protein content than the control sample (without mushroom powder) with a storage life of at least 7 days at 37 ± 1 °C.