High-fiber date pits pudding: formulation,processing, and textural properties

The aim of this project was to prepare high-fiber pudding using date pits to meet the FDA requirement for health claim. Pudding desert was prepared with dates pits (DP), starch, sugar, xanthan gum (DX), flaxseeds gum (DF), and powdered milk. DP were milled, sieved through 149-µm sieve, and used for formulating high-fiber pudding. The pudding formulation included yeast, DX, or DF, and without gum (DP). Danette chocolate pudding, a commercial sample, was used as a reference. The formulation was cooked using rapid visco analyzer (RVA), and the gel was further analyzed by Brookfield viscometer and texture analyzer. The RVA profile of the formulation included peak viscosity, setback, and final viscosity. The data obtained from the RVA showed that pudding samples containing DX or DF gums exhibited higher peak viscosities (3,012.7 ± 22.5, 1,236.3 ± 110.9 cP, respectively) as compared to the DP pudding 735.3 ± 38.3 cP. The presence of DX instigated higher gel hardness than DF and DP, whereas DF caused higher cohesiveness than DP and DX. The shear stress as a function of shear rate profile indicated that DF was closer to Danette pudding sample. The consistency coefficient index (K), which was obtained from the power law, was higher for both DX and DF, indicating higher viscosity, whereas lower flow behavior index (n) signifies a more pseudoplastic system of these samples. Based on the Ea values, it can be concluded that DX sample is less temperature dependent (lower Ea) than DF (higher Ea). The sensory testing showed that yeast treatment brought the formulation closer to the control in terms of panel acceptance.