Pallavi Rachappa, Devaki Chandrashekar Sudharma, Om Prakash Chauhan, Prakash Ekanath Patki, Roopa Nagaraj, Shekhara Naik Rama Naik
Snacks are different from meals in terms of size, nutritional content, hunger, and thirst sensation before and after the event. Considering the nutritive value, available snacks in the market are rich in carbohydrates and fats; being less in dietary fibre and functional components such as antioxidants, polyphenolic components which leads to extreme health risks in children and adolescents. Protein, one of the important components required during the growing years is lacking in snack foods, therefore in the present study an attempt was made to develop protein and fibre rich snacks using mushroom as the major component. Two mushroom snack products such as mushroom tikki and stuffed mushroom were developed using white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus), spice mixture, and other ingredients. For the processing of the snack products, technologies such as blanching and in-pack pasteurization were used. The developed products were subjected to proximate analysis; mineral and vitamin profile; functional components; chemical components; organoleptic evaluation and microbial analysis for safety. Mushroom tikki had moisture 40.24%, carbohydrate 17.5%, protein 10.7%, fat 20.12%, fibre 7.91% and ash 3.54%. Stuffed mushroom had moisture 66.11%, carbohydrate 14.5%, protein 4.05%, fat 6.82%, fibre 6.65%, and ash 1.87%. Both the products were good in all the sensory properties and were found microbially safe. The developed snack products, as were rich in protein, dietary fibre, antioxidants and phenolic components helps in the consumption of balanced nutrients in children and adolescents.