Development of instant pasta incorporated with a novel composite flour blend of unripe banana (Musa acuminata L.) flesh and jackfruit seeds (Artocarpus heterophyllus L.) and evaluate its quality parameters

The development of instant pasta enriched with jackfruit seed powder and unripe banana flesh powder presents a novel approach to sustainable food innovation. In the present study, various composite flour mixtures were developed by combining different proportions of unripe banana flesh (UGB) and jackfruit seed (JFS) flour with refined wheat flour (T1- 15% UGB, 5% JFS, 80% wheat, T2- 20% UGB, 10% JFS, 70% wheat, T3 - 25% UGB, 15% JFS, 60% wheat, and T4- 100% (w/w) wheat, serving as the control). Thirty semi-trained panelists were used to conduct the sensory evaluation using a 5-point hedonic scale, while standard methods were applied to analyze the proximate composition and physicochemical properties of the developed product. T1 formulation showed superior sensory attributes with higher protein (7.56±0.01%), and carbohydrate (67.44±0.01%) content while showing lower fat (16.07±0.00%) and moisture (5.77±0.00%) levels than the control sample (p<0.05). Texture analysis of the T1 sample indicated the hardness at 1728.0±110.9 g, adhesiveness at 3.03±0.65 mJ, springiness at 1.37±0.23 mm, cohesiveness at 0.34±0.30, and gumminess at 897.3±65 g. T1 exhibited lower water activity (0.78±0.01) and pH (5.86±0.01) than the control sample. In conclusion, jackfruit seed flour and unripe banana flesh powder can effectively substitute wheat flour when preparing instant pasta.