The Role of Cereal and Pulse Constituents and Processing Technology in Flake Texture Development: a Review

To meet the rising consumer demand for higher nutrition foods and to increase flake nutritional value and functionality, it is possible to combine cereals with pulses. For consumers, one of the most important quality parameters along with appearance and taste, is texture. To produce the appropriate quality of flakes, the knowledge about the relationship between chemical composition, processing parameters, and texture is necessary. The aim of this study was to characterise the role of cereal and pulse constituents and processing technologies in flake texture development, which could be used in flake production for achieving the appropriate hardness and crunchiness of new products. The monographic method was used to characterise the constituent and processing technology‘s role in cereal and pulse flake texture development. Information published from 2003 till 2022, in total 77 full text research articles, books and databases were analysed and summarised. Data analysed show if pulse and cereal nutritional information, mineral and vitamin content is known, it is possible to combine different cereals and pulses to provide a specific nutrient composition in the developed products. The main change in high starch products is a specific gelatinization and retrogradation behaviour of starch. Constituents such as lipids and proteins as well as processing technology and parameters, can significantly modify the properties and functionality of starch. Proteins can encapsulate starch granules, inhibit starch digestion and gelatinization, reduce starch structural order, and inhibit starch retrogradation.