Physicochemical, Structural, Thermal, Rheological and Functional Properties of Precooked Composite Flour from Cowpea, Unripe Plantain, and Sweet Potato, and Their Use in Cookies and Muffins
- 1Agro-Industrial Engineering Program, Pontificia Bolivariana University, Montería 230002, Colombia
- 2Department of Food Engineering, University of Córdoba, Montería 230002, Colombia
Abstract
Steam precooking of starch-rich raw materials yields pregelatinized biopolymer matrices; however, how the structural state of starch in multicomponent precooked flours relates to their hydration, pasting, flow, and dough and batter viscoelastic behavior remains poorly documented. This study developed and characterized a steam-precooked composite flour (PCF) from cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), unripe plantain (Musa paradisiaca cv. Hartón), and orange-fleshed sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas cv. Agrosavia Aurora), formulated using linear programming to meet the nutritional targets set by the “Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar” (ICBF). The PCF contained 24.08 ± 0.13% crude protein, 375.1 kcal/100 g, and 89.23 ± 0.18% in vitro protein digestibility, exceeding the ICBF minimum requirements. Differential scanning calorimetry showed no defined gelatinization endotherm, only a weak, broad endothermic region (52–92 °C; ΔH = 2.35 ± 0.56 J/g dry flour) attributed mainly to retrograded amylopectin and a minor residual starch fraction; the pasting profile lacked a viscosity peak, with breakdown indistinguishable from zero. Flour suspensions exhibited pseudoplastic behavior (shear-thinning), with a flow behavior index of 0.542 and a consistency coefficient of 0.311 Pa·sⁿ, and a flat pasting profile with negligible breakdown (0.02 cP), consistent with a collapsed structure. Cookie dough and muffin batter behaved as weak elastic gels (G′ > G″), with cookie dough approximately two orders of magnitude stiffer than muffin batter, though both showed a similar critical strain (8–13%) at the solid-to-flow transition. Baked cookies and muffins achieved high sensory acceptance and purchase intention (84% for cookies, 80% for muffins). These results suggest that PCF is a promising local alternative, with adequate nutritional, technological, and sensorial performance, to fortified blended foods based on imported ingredients for bakery products.
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BibTeX
@article{perezcervera2026physicochemical,
title = {{Physicochemical, Structural, Thermal, Rheological and Functional Properties of Precooked Composite Flour from Cowpea, Unripe Plantain, and Sweet Potato, and Their Use in Cookies and Muffins}},
author = {Carmen Elena Pérez-Cervera and Daniela Colorado-Triana and Camila Andrea Suarez-Gómez and María Alejandra Castillo-Ortega and Mateo Ávila-Díaz and Claudia Denise De Paula and Ricardo David Andrade-Pizarro},
journal = {Polymers},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3390/polym18212782},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/21/2782},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Physicochemical, Structural, Thermal, Rheological and Functional Properties of Precooked Composite Flour from Cowpea, Unripe Plantain, and Sweet Potato, and Their Use in Cookies and Muffins
AU - Carmen Elena Pérez-Cervera
AU - Daniela Colorado-Triana
AU - Camila Andrea Suarez-Gómez
AU - María Alejandra Castillo-Ortega
AU - Mateo Ávila-Díaz
AU - Claudia Denise De Paula
AU - Ricardo David Andrade-Pizarro
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/07
JO - Polymers
DO - 10.3390/polym18212782
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/21/2782
AB - Steam precooking of starch-rich raw materials yields pregelatinized biopolymer matrices; however, how the structural state of starch in multicomponent precooked flours relates to their hydration, pasting, flow, and dough and batter viscoelastic behavior remains poorly documented. This study developed and characterized a steam-precooked composite flour (PCF) from cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), unripe plantain (Musa paradisiaca cv. Hartón), and orange-fleshed sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas cv. Agrosavia Aurora), formulated using linear programming to meet the nutritional targets set by the “Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar” (ICBF). The PCF contained 24.08 ± 0.13% crude protein, 375.1 kcal/100 g, and 89.23 ± 0.18% in vitro protein digestibility, exceeding the ICBF minimum requirements. Differential scanning calorimetry showed no defined gelatinization endotherm, only a weak, broad endothermic region (52–92 °C; ΔH = 2.35 ± 0.56 J/g dry flour) attributed mainly to retrograded amylopectin and a minor residual starch fraction; the pasting profile lacked a viscosity peak, with breakdown indistinguishable from zero. Flour suspensions exhibited pseudoplastic behavior (shear-thinning), with a flow behavior index of 0.542 and a consistency coefficient of 0.311 Pa·sⁿ, and a flat pasting profile with negligible breakdown (0.02 cP), consistent with a collapsed structure. Cookie dough and muffin batter behaved as weak elastic gels (G′ > G″), with cookie dough approximately two orders of magnitude stiffer than muffin batter, though both showed a similar critical strain (8–13%) at the solid-to-flow transition. Baked cookies and muffins achieved high sensory acceptance and purchase intention (84% for cookies, 80% for muffins). These results suggest that PCF is a promising local alternative, with adequate nutritional, technological, and sensorial performance, to fortified blended foods based on imported ingredients for bakery products.
SN - 2073-4360
ER -