Optimization of theFormulation of Low-Fat Symbiotic Flavored Coating for Use in Functional Puffed Snack Technology

Background and Objectives: Nowadays, extruded snacks are the most common form of meals; however, their high amount of salt and fat leads to increase disease risk. Their coating would be a proper carrier for probiotics and has an appropriate potential for enhancement of the nutritional properties of puffed snacks. In this research, production of symbiotic snack coating by probiotic bacteria, as well as incorporation of native inulin and resistant starch as prebiotics and fat replacer have been studied. Materials and Methods: Based on mixture design, the effects of different concentrations of native inulin (0-20%), resistant starch (0-20%) and edible oil (80-100%) on the survivability of L. acidophilus LA5, and the pH, texture and sensory properties of extruded snacks were evaluated. Results: The native inulin and resistant starch had positive effect on the survivability of probiotic bacteria. However, their presence in the coatings increased the hardness of the extruded snacks. Although by enhancement of native inulin and resistant starch, the scores for hardness and overall acceptability were decreased, but eventually, the optimized product was acceptable for consumers. Optimum formulation conditions were selected to be 20% resistant starch without inulin and 15.33 % inulin without starch. Conclusion: Optimized low fat snack coating could enhance the quality of product along with reduction of fat in formulation up to 10% and improvement of lactobacillus survivability in higher levels as suggested by the World Health Organization (107 CFU/ g).