Valorization of deoiled rice bran by development and process optimization of extrudates

The purpose of this study was to develop extruded snack products using a blend of rice flour, corn flour and deoiled rice bran. Effects of feed moisture (12%–18%), barrel temperature (86⁰C-154 °C) and screw speed (116–284 rpm) on the product properties like lateral expansion (LE), bulk density (BD), water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI) and hardness (H) were investigated. All these physical properties of extruded snacks were found to be significantly affected by changes in moisture, temperature and screw speed. The regression models for product responses like lateral expansion, bulk density, water absorption index, water solubility index and hardness were highly significant (p ≤ 0.001). The optimized extruded product was obtained at moisture content of 13%, barrel temperature 140 °C, and 203 rpm of screw speed. It was revealed that deoiled rice bran can be incorporated to produce snack products with desirable quality characteristics.