Pol. J. Food Nutr. Sci., 2018, Vol. 68, No. 3, pp.

251–261
DOI: 10.1515/pjfns-2017-0028
http://journal.pan.olsztyn.pl
Original research article
Section: Food Quality and Functionality

Chemical Characteristics and Physical Properties of Functional

Snacks Enriched with Powdered Tomato

Agnieszka Wójtowicz1*, Marta Zalewska-Korona2, Ewa Jabłońska-Ryś2,

Krystyna Skalicka-Woźniak3, Anna Oniszczuk4

1
Department of Thermal Technology and Food Process Engineering, University of Life Sciences in Lublin,
Doświadczalna 44, 20–280 Lublin, Poland
2
Department of Fruits, Vegetables and Mushrooms Technology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin,
Skromna 8, 20–704 Lublin, Poland
3
Department of Pharmacognosy with Medical Plant Unit, Medical University of Lublin,
Chodźki 1, 20–093 Lublin, Poland
4
Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Medical University of Lublin,
Chodźki 4a, 20–093 Lublin, Poland

Key words: single screw extruder, corn snacks, carotenoids, polyphenols, functional food

The paper discusses the influence of the addition of freeze-dried tomatoes on the chemical composition and selected physical properties of ex-
truded corn snacks. Corn grits were replaced with dried tomatoes in the amount from 5 to 30% of corn mass. The total lycopene and phenolic content,
the scavenging ability and the ferric reducing antioxidant power were determined along with the content of neochlorogenic, chlorogenic, p-coumaric
acids and rutin. Also evaluated were selected physical properties, colour and the sensory profile of corn snacks enriched with tomatoes. A greater
tomato addition increased the volume of bioactive compounds, especially the total phenolic content. Snacks enriched with tomato exhibited a lower ex-
pansion ratio, water absorption and solubility indices, lightness and sensory characteristics but higher density, hardness and redness than corn snacks.
Powdered tomato seems to be a functional additive with the high content of biologically-active compounds, and the enriched snacks displayed good
physical properties if the tomato level did not exceed 20%. A higher amount of the additive significantly lowered the expansion as well as increased
the hardness of snacks. Still, the corn products with 25 and 30% of powdered tomato were more valuable due to their much higher level of bioactive
components compared with the regular corn snacks.

lycopene – represents about 80–90% of the total carotenoid

INTRODUCTION content in a tomato fruit [Shi & Le Maguer, 2000]. Lycopene
is  commonly found in  tomatoes but also in  tomato prod-
Tomatoes are important vegetables in the daily diet. Their ucts processed with different techniques. Some scientific re-
regular consumption may lower the  risk of  development ports have proven lycopene to be  an important antioxidant
of  several types of  diseases, among them cancer and  heart and  have demonstrated its potential role in  the  prophylaxis
diseases [Chang & Liu, 2007; Sahlin et  al., 2004]. As func- of cardiovascular disease and in diminishing the risk of pros-
tional food, tomatoes have been confirmed to reduce the risk tate, ovarian, gastric, and  pancreatic cancers [Kavanaugh
of and prevent prostate cancer. In many countries, the con- et  al., 2007]. Also, some studies have shown that lycopene
sumption of raw tomatoes and tomato products is promoted facilitates communication between cells, modulates the  im-
as part of a healthy life style and a good dietary habit [George mune systems and hormones, and interacts with other meta-
et al., 2004]. Tomatoes and their preserves are good sources bolic pathways [Abete et al., 2013; Giovannucci, 2005]. Fried-
of  healthy ingredients, especially lycopene and  other carot- man et al. [2000] confirmed the reduction of LDL-cholesterol
enoids, folate, ascorbic acid, vitamin E, flavonoids, and po- fraction by 44% and 59% and of triglyceride levels in plasma
tassium, which behave like nutrients, and  diverse disease- by 31% and 47% when in their study hamsters were fed freeze-
-preventing molecules. Lycopene and  -carotene constitute -dried red and green tomatoes, respectively.
a  major source of  carotenoids, and  the  main red pigment – To fulfill the nutritional requirements, substantial quantity
of tomato would have to be eaten as raw, processed or dried,
or as a component of vegetable dishes [Chang & Liu, 2007].
* Corresponding Author: Tel.: (48 81) 461 00 61  ext. 107; Fax: (48 81)
461 06 83; E-mail: [email protected] (Dr. Hab. Eng.
During a  prolonged exposure to heat and  oxygen, tomato
A. Wójtowicz) products might sustain some damage caused by  isomeriza-

© Copyright by Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences
© 2018 Author(s). This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).
252 Functional Snacks Enriched with Tomatoes

tion and oxidation: they cause tomato lycopene degradation radicals, and the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), as
during processing. The  low molecular weight compounds well as based on contents of selected functional components,
that incite the antioxidant activity, and which include mainly e.g. neochlorogenic, chlorogenic, p-coumaric acids, and rutin.
polyphenolics, can support the innate immune systems in its Selected physical properties were assessed as well, like the ex-
struggle against oxidative stress [Gülçin, 2012]. Accord- pansion ratio, density, hardness, water absorption and water
ing to hypotheses, the  consumption of  polyphenolics-rich solubility indices, but also the  color profile and  sensory at-
food plays an important role in  preventing oxidative stress- tractiveness of tomato-enriched corn snacks.
-based chronic diseases. Several studies have been published
on the phenolics content and antioxidant activity of cereals, MATERIALS AND METHODS
herbs, vegetables and  fruits [Dong et  al., 2014; Fernandez-
-Panchon et  al., 2008]. The  antioxidant properties of  plants Chemicals
can be influenced by many factors, including the cultivation Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl
method or environmental conditions, developmental stage, radical (DPPH), 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-
species and  varieties, or storage and  processing conditions -2-carboxylic acid (Trolox), 2,4,6-tripyridyl-1,3,5-triazine
[Radzki et al., 2014]. (TPTZ) and  gallic acid, as well as the  standards used for
Extrusion-cooking is  a  popular processing technol- the HPLC analysis: phenolic acids (neochlorogenic, chloro-
ogy known as high-temperature short-time (HTST) process genic, p-coumaric, protocatechuic, ferulic, rosmarinic, ellag-
aimed to produce a wide range of foods and feeds [Mościcki ic), and flavonoids (rutin) were acquired from Sigma Aldrich
& Wójtowicz, 2011]. Thermo-mechanical treatment during (St. Louis, MO, USA). Ethanol, Na2CO3, FeCl3  butylated
extrusion-cooking may lead to the  gelatinization of  starch, hydroxytoluene (BHT), hexane, and  acetone were obtained
denaturation of proteins, enzymes, microbes, and to the in- from POCh (Gliwice, Poland). All used chemicals and  sol-
activation of  anti-nutrients [Altan et  al., 2008]. It  is  among vents were of  the  analytical grade. Methanol with the  chro-
the  most effective processing methods for the  conversion matographic grade was used for HPLC (J.T.  Baker Inc.,
of nutritionally valuable raw materials and food wastes into Netherlands). Water was purified with SimplicityTM system
useful products by means of a process that is versatile, high (Millipore, Molsheim, France).
yield, energetically efficient, relatively inexpensive, and  of-
fers the possibility of modelling functional properties of food Plant materials
products. Many authors have tested the  possibility of  using Corn grits (distributor: Vegetus, Lubartów, Poland) with
some of the valuable ingredients from food by-products, es- the granulation below 0.8 mm were used as the main raw ma-
pecially from cereals, but also from fruit, vegetables or other terial. The proximate chemical composition of corn grits was
additives to improve the nutritional value of extruded prod- as follows, in g/100 g: protein content 9.2, fat content 1.66,
ucts. Bisharat et al. [2015] and Stojceska et al. [2010] experi- ash content 0.55, dietary fiber content 4.42, and  moisture
mented with the increased quantity of dietary fiber from cau- content 12.0%. Fresh tomatoes were collected from the farms
liflower, broccoli or olive waste in extruded snacks. Rogalski of eastern Poland in September 2013 and were processed no
et al. [2016] reported the increased content of valuable fatty later than six hours after picking. The chemical composition
acids, such as α-linolenic acid, form refined linseed oil used of the vegetables was as follows, in g/100 g: protein content
as an additive. Finally, Shaviklo et  al. [2014] demonstrated 0.9, fat content 0.2, ash content 0.52, and dietary fiber content
the  enrichment of  corn crisps with fishery-derived products 1.2. The fresh fruits were cleaned, cut in 5 mm slices and sub-
with a view to adding some protein and omega-3 fatty acids. jected to freeze-drying.
For consumers on a  gluten-free diet, corn snacks are The  sliced tomatoes were frozen at -20°C for 24  h
a popular source of carbohydrates. They also have a specific and then lyophilized in a freeze-dryer (Christ Alpha 1–2 LD
texture and  are convenient to use. Pseudocereals, like corn, plus, Germany) for 72 h. The temperature of condenser was
rice and buckwheat, play a significant role in the nourishment set at -60°C, the vacuum was kept at 0.8 mbar, and the shelf
of  people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. These temperature was set at 25°C. The dried tomatoes (moisture
consumers must abandon such products as bakery products, content 6.5%) were powdered (below 300 μm) in a laboratory
snacks or pasta made from common and gluten-rich raw ma- grinder (Społem WŻ-1, Poland), vacuum sealed and  stored
terials [Wójtowicz et  al., 2013]. Nowadays, consumers are up to 4 weeks in darkness at room temperature for further use.
interested in functional foods, and they are looking for tasty
products which may also add to their natural body resistance, Extrusion-cooking of snacks
may help prevent and/or support therapies in selected diseas- Blends of  raw materials were prepared by  mixing corn
es, support their physical fitness, and have a positive effect on grits and powdered tomato added in the amount of 5, 10, 15,
their mental condition. 20, 25  and  30% of  base dry weight. The  blended materials
The  objective of  this study was to evaluate the  effect were moistened to 15% of moisture content by spraying with
of the addition of freeze-dried and powdered tomato to corn a proper volume of water and mixed continuously for 10 min.
grits on the quality of functional ready-to-eat snacks prepared The recipes with different tomato contents were processed us-
by the extrusion-cooking process. The chemical characteris- ing the single screw polytrophic extruder TS-45 (ZMCh Met-
tic of the obtained material was tested by the determination alchem, Gliwice, Poland) equipped with a heating/cooling sys-
of  the  total lycopene content, total phenolics content, the tem, configured as L:D=12:1, and with the screw compression
ability to scavenge on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) ratio of 3:1. Based on the previous research [Wójtowicz et al.,
A. Wójtowicz et al. 253

2013], during snacks processing, the barrel zone temperatures by Choi et al. [2006]. The extracts (0.2 mL) were mixed with
were set at 125–145–135°C and kept constant through the ex- 0.8  mL of  a  DPPH ethanol solution (at a  concentration
periments by  a  water cooling system installed inside the  ex- of 0.2 mmol/L) and the mixture was shaken intensely prior to
truder. Snack products were shaped with a single circular open being left in darkness for 15 min. The absorbance was mea-
die of 3 mm in dimension. During the processing of snacks, sured at 520 nm against a blank sample. The calibration curve
the screw speed was set at 120 rpm [Wójtowicz et al., 2013]. was plotted with various concentrations of Trolox as a stan-
Ready-to-eat snacks were dried at 40°C to the final moisture dard (y=-0.0045x +1.869, R2=0.997). The  antioxidant po-
content of 6.0% and were stored for a maximum of 4 weeks tential was expressed as μmol Trolox equivalent (TE) per 1 g
in closed polyethylene bags at room temperature before tests. of sample dry weight [Dong et al., 2014].

Solvent extraction for TPC, DPPH and FRAP assays Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay
The  samples were ground for fine granulation (below Antioxidant capacity was established by the ferric reduc-
300 μm) before the extraction, and ethanol (80% v/v) was used ing antioxidant assay (FRAP) described by  Toor & Savage
as the solvent. Each sample (1 g) was extracted with 30 mL [2005]. A  FRAP reagent was made by  mixing 300  mmol/L
of the solvent in a shaker at 80°C and 175 rpm for 1 h. The ex- acetate buffer (pH 3.6) with 10  mmol/L 2,4,6-tripyridyl-tri-
tract was separated by centrifugation at 4200×g for 20 min. azine (TPTZ) solution in  40  mmol/L HCl and  20  mmol/L
It  was then evaporated to dryness in  a  vacuum evaporator FeCl3×6H2O (10:1:1  ratio). The  assay solutions were pre-
(at 40°C), lyophilized (Christ Alpha 1–2 LD plus, Germany), pared by  mixing 1.9  mL of  FRAP reagent with 0.1  mL
and diluted in methanol (concentration of 5 mg/mL). Before of product extract. The mixtures were then incubated at 37°C
the HPLC analysis, the extracts were forced through 0.45 μm in  darkness for 15  min. The  quantity of  ferrous tripyridyl-
nylon syringe filters (Millex-HN, Ireland). triazine complex was estimated by reading the absorbance at
593 nm. The calibration curve was plotted with various con-
Determination of total lycopene content centrations of Trolox as a standard (y=0.0021x, R2=0.998);
Lycopene was extracted according to the  procedure de- the results were reported as μmol Trolox equivalent (TE) per
scribed by Fish et al. [2002] for the extraction of carotenoids 1 g of sample dry weight.
from fruit and  vegetables. Approximately 2  g of  a  ground
sample were extracted with 10 mL of hexane/ethanol/acetone Determination of contents of functional components by
(2:1:1) containing 25  g/L butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC/DAD)
The  flask was wrapped and  sealed in  foil and  extracted The HPLC analysis of phenolic acids and rutin was car-
in a shaker at a speed of 150 rpm for 15 min on ice. Then, 3 mL ried out on the Shimadzu high-performance liquid chroma-
of  distilled water were added and  the  sample was vortexed tography (HPLC) system (Shimadzu, Japan) equipped with
again for 5  min. Afterwards, the  sample was left for 5  min an automatic degasser (DGU-20A 3R), a  quaternary pump
for phase separation. Absorbance was measured (503  nm) (LC-20AD), an autosampler (SIL-20A HT), and  DAD de-
in  the  hexane phase by  using a  UV-vis spectrophotometer tector (SPD-M20A). Zorbax Eclipse XDB C18  column
(Helios Gamma, Thermo, USA), where hexane was a blank (250  mm×4.6  mm, 5  μm, Agilent) was used in  the  follow-
sample. Lycopene content was then estimated by the follow- ing conditions: temperature: 20ºC, flow rate of  the  mobile
ing formula: L = A503 × 31.2 /m, where L – lycopene content phase: 1  mL/min, and  injection volume: 20  μL.  The  LC
(μg/g), A503 – absorbance of the hexane layer, 31.2 – the molar pumps, autosampler, column oven, and  DAD were moni-
extinction coefficient for lycopene in hexane, and m – sample tored and  controlled with the  LabSolutions 5.51  software
weight (g) [Fish et al., 2002]. (Shimadzu). An HPLC quantitative analysis was performed
according to the  previously published method [Skalicka-
Determination of total phenolics content (TPC) -Woźniak & Głowniak, 2008]. Peaks were identified by com-
The  content of  phenolic compounds in  the  extracts was paring their retention times and  the  UV absorption spec-
measured with the  Singleton and  Rossi method with some tra with those of  peaks obtained for individual standards.
modifications [Radzki et  al., 2014]. Briefly, the  samples The quantitative analysis was performed at the wavelengths
(0.2  mL) were mixed with 0.8  mL of  Folin and  Ciocalteu’s of  254  and  320  nm. Each calibration curve was analyzed
phenol reagent (10 × diluted). After 3  min, 1.25  mL of  7% three times at five various concentrations. Each time, the co-
Na2CO3  was added to the  mixture. The  sample was kept efficient of determination was calculated (R2). The precision
in darkness for 30 min; the absorbance was read at 725 nm of the method was evaluated by means of intra-day and inter-
(Helios Gamma, Thermo, USA). The  calibration curve was -day tests. Intra-day experiments were performed by a replicate
identified at different concentrations of gallic acid as a stan- analysis of six aliquots of the same sample on the same day.
dard (y=0.009x, R2=0.999). The total phenolic content was Inter-day tests were performed on three consecutive working
expressed as gallic acid equivalent (GAE) per 100  g of  dry days in the same way as the intra assay experiments. The rela-
weight of the sample. tive standard deviation (RSD) used as a measure of intra-day
and inter-day precision was <3.02% for all compounds.
1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging
activity Physical properties of snacks
The ability to scavenge the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl The  expansion index of  snacks was calculated as a  ratio
radical (DPPH) was determined using the method designed of sample diameter to the diameter of the forming die and was
254 Functional Snacks Enriched with Tomatoes

measured with an electronic calliper in  10  replications. Bulk donic scale, where 1  stood for “extremely dislike” and  9  for
density was evaluated as the weight of the equivalent volume “extremely like”. Snacks regarded as acceptable were those
of  extrudates. The  density measurements were shown as an scored above 5 [Wójtowicz et al., 2013].
average of  ten replications. The  ZwickRoell BDO-FB0.5TH
(Zwick GmbH & Co., Germany) universal testing machine Statistical analysis
was used for the evaluation of snack texture. Cutting force (N) The statistical analysis was conducted by means of Sta-
was measured by means of the cutting test with Warner-Brat- tistica ver. 10 (StatSoft, Poland). All analyses were performed
zler knife, double-edge truncated at an angle of 45°, 3 mm thick in triplicate, but the expansion ratio and hardness were mea-
and 60 mm long, as an average of 10 replications. The head sured in 10 replications. The data was expressed as the mean
speed during the  tests was set at 500  mm/min. Force–time ± SD (standard deviation). The  results were statistically
curves were recorded and analyzed with testXpertII®v3.3 based evaluated using the ANOVA analysis of variance with the lev-
on the data from 10 replications [Wójtowicz et al., 2013]. els of  significance set at p<0.05  and  p<0.001. Statistically
The  water absorption index (WAI) was determined as different data were compared using the least significant dif-
the  weight of  gel obtained per gram of  a  dry ground sam- ference (LSD) test. The  correlation analysis was conducted
ple [Boualsa et  al., 2017]. In  brief, the  ground extrudates with the Pearson’s test.
in the amount of 0.7 g were suspended in 7 mL of water hav-
ing the  room temperature and  mixed in  plastic tubes. After RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
10 min hydration, the test tubes were closed and centrifuged
at 15,000 rpm for 10 min (Centrifuge T24, Leipzig, Germa- Lycopene content
ny). The supernatant was decanted and the WAI was calcu- Lycopene is an important food component in terms of its
lated as the weight of gel obtained per unit weight of the origi- impact on color but also because of  its recognized health
nal solids as dry basis. The water solubility index (WSI) was benefits. There is no recommended dietary allowance (RDA)
calculated as the  percentage of  dry matter recovered after established for lycopene, but based on the  results of  Rao &
the evaporation of the supernatant from the WAI determina- Shen’s research [2002], an intake of 5 to 10 mg lycopene per
tion. The  supernatant was dried in  an air oven at 105°C to day is suggested. In the United States, more than 80% of con-
a constant weight (about 3 h). WAI and WSI data were gath- sumed lycopene derive from tomato products. Thermal treat-
ered in three replications. ment during the processing of tomato juice, pulp, powder etc.
may cause degradation of lycopene tomato products [Sahlin
Color profile of snacks et al., 2004]. In our study, in seven variants of snacks supple-
The color characteristics of snacks enriched with freeze- mented with the  tomato powder, lycopene content ranged
-dried tomato were evaluated using Lovibond CAM-System from 0.2  mg/100  g to 31.2  mg/100  g in  the  samples before
500 Color and Appearance Measurements System (The Tin- extrusion and from 0.2 mg/100 g to 22.4 mg/100 g in the ex-
tometer Ltd., UK). The  CIE-Lab scale was applied for truded ones (Table 1). The  highest content of  lycopene was
the evaluation of L* for brightness (0–100), a* (+100) for red- determined in  the  samples with 30% addition of  the  tomato
ness and (-100) for greenness, and b* (+100) for yellowness powder, both before and after extrusion. It is worthy of notice
and (-100) for blueness, respectively. The E was calculated that 50 g of tested corn snacks enriched with 30% tomato pow-
as a  color change index [Wójtowicz et  al., 2013]. The  color der provide the daily required dose of lycopene. Lycopene con-
check was performed in 20 replications for each sample. tent in the fresh tomato fruits was 6.3 mg/100 g, and in the ly-
ophilized tomato powder was 92.0  mg/100  g. In  the  studies
Sensory evaluations of Toor & Savage [2005], lycopene content ranged from 1.6 to
The  experiment covered the  sensory evaluation of  taste, 8.7 mg/100 g in different fractions of fresh fruit.
shape, color, flavor, crispness, and  the  overall quality The decrease of the lycopene content in extruded snacks
of snacks. A semi-trained panel with 15 members (9 women, enriched with various levels of powdered tomato ranged from
6 men) assessed the products from each recipe in a 5-point 28.25% to 92.14% compared with the material before extru-
scale. Sensory tests were performed in a laboratory room with sion. Mayeaux et al. [2006] tested the effect of various heat
bright natural day light; the samples were given out randomly treatment methods on the stability of lycopene, and showed
on white plates labelled with codes. The assessment focused that 64.4% of lycopene still remained after 1 min of high pow-
on shape, color, flavor, taste, and crispness. The persons in- er microwaving. A  similar treatment time was applied dur-
volved were briefed about each of the tested sensory attribute. ing the  extrusion-cooking of  tomato-supplemented snacks,
The  top scores were given to regular and  repeatable shape, and  the  results were comparable to lycopene losses during
uniform color reminding of the used components, fresh fla- the aforesaid microwave treatment. Thus, the time and tem-
vor reminding of the used components and free from strange perature of heating may be responsible for changes in lyco-
odor, pleasant taste reminding of  the  used components, in- pene content in tomato products.
tense crispness with delicate texture and  not hard during Sahlin et al. [2004] reported a lower content of lycopene
the bite. The scores were from 5 for very good down to 1 for after the heat treatment of freeze-dried tomatoes by boiling,
very poor, separately for each attribute. The  overall quality baking, and  frying; nevertheless, the  greatest losses of  ly-
was the mean value of all tested features. copene were observed during frying. The  results of  a  study
The  final acceptability of  the  tested samples in  relation by  Dewanto et  al. [2002] clearly indicated the  formation
to the consumers’ preferences was evaluated in a 9-point he- of cis-lycopene in tomato puree during processing. However,
A. Wójtowicz et al. 255

it was also suggested that the processing of tomato may in- tions. Tomato and  tomato products were found as good
crease lycopene bioavailability [Gärtner et al., 1997]. The re- sources of phenolics in the diet, their content being similar to
sults presented by Colle et al. [2010] and Hwang et al. [2012] that reported in corn, pinto beans, potato or onion [George
demonstrated thermal stability of lycopene even during pro- et al., 2004].
cessing at 140°C. In the study of Dehghan-Shoar et al. [2010], Table 1  shows the  content of  total phenolics as the  gal-
the temperature range from 140 to 180°C used for the extru- lic acid equivalent extracted with ethanol in the tested recipes
sion-cooking of crisps with tomato paste and tomato skin had with different contents of  tomato powder before and  after
no significant effect on lycopene content, but lycopene reten- the extrusion-cooking, respectively. The content of total phe-
tion in the products containing tomato skin was much higher nolics in raw material before extrusion ranged from 67.1 mg
than in the products containing tomato paste. Lycopene loss GAE/100 g d.w. for corn grits up to 109.7 mg GAE/100 g d.w.
during the extrusion-cooking of products containing tomato for corn mixtures with 30% of  freeze-dried tomato powder.
paste was higher due to the differences in the stability of lyco- After extrusion-cooking, the  content of  total phenolics was
pene in tomato paste and the extreme processing conditions significantly higher, especially for snacks with the highest ad-
applied. Nevertheless, considering lycopene degradation po- dition of tomato powder in the recipe (239.6 mg GAE/100 g
tential during thermal processing and storage, it is important d.w.). A  similar TPC was observed by  Dong et  al. [2014]
to assess its content in tomato products and avoid their direct in three types of corn by-products, i.e. from 298.8 to 399.4 mg
exposure to light [Cámara et al., 2012]. GAE/100  g d.w. depending on corn variety. In  the  samples
without tomato powder, the  content of  polyphenolic com-
Total phenolics content pounds decreased after heat-treatment. This can suggest
Polyphenols are known as secondary plant metabolites, the destructive impact of high temperature on corn. In recipes
and  they are the  most desirable phytochemicals because with added tomato, the content of phenolic compounds was
of their strong antioxidant activity. They exert antimicrobial, by 23–118% higher in the processed snacks than in the ma-
antiviral and  anti-inflammatory effects on the  human body terial before extrusion. Thus, with the  addition of  tomato
and exhibit a disease-preventing potential attributed to sev- powder, phenolic compounds in the consolidated form (not
eral constituents which may show some synergistic interac- identified in  the  material without extrusion-cooking treat-
ment) were introduced into the  samples. The  literature on
the subject [Acosta-Estrada et al., 2014] confirms that a high
TABLE 1. Contents of  lycopene and  total phenolics, and  scavenging temperature can trigger the  breaking of  chemical bonds
ability determined by  the  DPPH and  ferric reducing antioxidant power and the releasing of phenolic compounds, which contributes
(FRAP) in samples before and after the extrusion-cooking.
to their determined level. There is  no recommended level
Tomato
of consumption of antioxidants, but the daily intake of anti-
Lycopene TPC DPPH FRAP oxidants, phenolics and flavonoids by the Americans was es-
addition
(mg/100 g) (mg GAE/100 g) (μmol TE/g) (μmol TE/g)
(%) timated at 591 mg VCE (Vitamin C equivalent), 450 mg GAE
Before extrusion (raw material) and 103 mg catechin equivalents, respectively, especially from
0 (corn
vegetables and fruit [Chun et al., 2005].
0.2±0.1a 67.1±5.7a 0.2±0.1a 1.9±0.2a There are some studies which suggest that heat treatments
grits)
5 4.6±0.2b 83.8±4.5b 0.3±0.1a 2.9±0.2b
may have detrimental effects on the quantity of nutrients in veg-
etables; nevertheless, bioavailability of  some nutrients may
10 9.7±0.1c 84.2±4.1b 0.9±0.2b 3.0±0.3b increase at the same time. Sahlin et al. [2004] reported a re-
15 15.7±0.1d 96.3±2.0c 1.1±0.2b 3.8±0.3c duction in the total phenolics content after boiling and frying
two cultivars of tomato compared with the respective raw cul-
20 21.4±0.1e 98.6±2.6cd 1.2±0.2b 4.5±0.2cd
tivar, but after baking, the total phenolics content was slightly
25 25.2±0.2f 103.1±0.9cd 2.0±0.1c 5.0±0.4d higher. The values were 438 to 354 mg GEA/100 g d.m. of raw
tomatoes and 245 to 441 mg GEA/100 g d.m. after the heat
30 31.2±0.3g 109.7±6.9d 2.0±0.2c 7.4±0.2e
treatment. The processing of cereals by means of extrusion-
After extrusion (corn snacks) -cooking affects the  breaking of  conjugated moieties and,
0 (pure thus, the release of bound phenolics. The antioxidant activity
0.2±0.0a 48.8±2.6a 0.3±0.2a 2.3±0.2a
snacks) of free phenolic extracts in extruded mixtures of whole maize
5 0.4±0.0a 107.4±3.2b 1.3±0.2a 5.2±0.2b and chickpea flours increased although the amount of bound
phenolics decreased compared with the unprocessed samples
10 1.6±0.1b 173.9±3.2c 3.6±0.4b 10.0±0.2c
[Acosta-Estrada et al., 2014]. However, this activity depends
15 4.1±0.1c 202.7±2.4d 3.7±0.3b 11.4±0.5cd on the conditions of processing and extraction that are likely
20 7.8±0.1d 214.5±6.2de 3.9±0.8b 11.8±1.2d to account for differences in results.

25 17.9±0.1e 223.3±13.1ef 4.2±0.3b 12.1±0.5d 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrayl (DPPH) radical scavenging

30 22.3±0.1f 239.6±4.3f 4.8±0.4b 12.8±0.6d activity
Antioxidants are considered important nutraceuticals be-
statistically significant differences in columns at p<0.05 were marked
a-g

by different letters separately before and after treatment; means ± stan-

cause of  their diverse health benefits. To assess the  antioxi-
dard deviations. dant potential, the DPPH reduction of free radicals was per-
256 Functional Snacks Enriched with Tomatoes

TABLE 2. The  content of  phenolic compounds in  raw materials

formed as a rise to colorless ethanol solution in the presence
and snacks enriched with tomato powder.
of  antioxidant molecules. The  DPPH assay with a  spectro-
photometric evaluation is one of the easy methods to measure Neochlorogenic Chlorogenic p-Coumaric
Rutin
natural antioxidants [Dong et al., 2014]. acid acid acid
(mg/100 g)
The  DPPH values of  the  analyzed samples are shown (mg/100 g) (mg/100 g) (mg/100 g)
in  Table 1. The  total DPPH values ranged from 0.2  to Ret. time
6.20 9.40 18.70 20.09
(min)
2.0 μmol TE/g d.w. for materials before extrusion and from
0.3  to 4.8  μmol TE/g d.w. for extruded corn snacks. Sig- Raw materials
nificantly higher values (from 4  times to almost 14  times) Tomato
12.1 6.7 1.6 0
of  the  antioxidant activity measured by  the  DPPH method powder
were observed for the  extrudates with at least 10% of  pow- Corn grits 0 0.4 0.6 6.6
dered tomato addition (p<0.001) than for the control sample. Tomato
Snacks
The results showed that the addition of freeze-dried tomato addition (%)
to a snack recipe increased the content of phenolic acids from 0 0a 0.5a 0.6a 5.0a
200 to 300% after the heat treatment under the applied condi-
5 1.6b 0.6ab 0.7ab 3.7b
tions compared with untreated raw materials, thus improving
their function as hydrogen donors or free radical scavengers 10 3.4c 1.0b 0.6a 3.2c
in food products.
15 5.5e 1.4c 0.8b 3.2c

Ferric-Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) 20 4.9cd 1.2bc 0.9c 3.2c

The ferric reducing-antioxidant power (FRAP) is a com- 25 4.9cd 1.8d 0.9c 3.2c
monly used indicator of phenolic antioxidant activity just as
the reducing power is [Dong et al., 2014]. The FRAP values 30 5.1d 2.5e 0.9c 3.1d
of the analyzed samples are shown in Table 1 for raw materi- Correlation
0.866* 0.946** 0.934** -0.767*
als and processed snacks. The total FRAP values ranged from coefficients (r)
1.9 for corn grits to 7.4 μmol TE/g d.w. for a blend with 30% a-e
statistically significant differences in columns at p<0.05 were marked
of  tomato before processing. After extrusion-cooking, corn by different letters; *significant at p<0.05; **significant at p<0.001; rela-
tive standard deviation (RSD) was <3.02% for all compounds.
snacks showed the total FRAP value of 2.3 μmol TE/g d.w.
and an increased addition of powdered tomato raised the to-
tal FRAP value significantly (p<0.001, r=0.904, Table 5), i.e. acid was only detected in  tomato powder (12.1  mg/100  g)
up to 12.8 μmol TE/g d.w. for crisps with 30% tomato powder and  in  snacks with the  addition of  tomato powder (content
addition. Both the  DPPH value and  the  FRAP values were from 1.6  up to 5.5  mg/100  g). Chlorogenic acid was found
higher in the samples after extrusion-cooking than in the raw in all the  tested samples, and its content accounted for
materials before treatment. The values of FRAP determined 0.4 mg/100 g of corn grits, 6.7 mg/100 g in powdered tomato,
in  the  samples with tomato were twice to almost 6  times from 0.5 up to 2.5 mg/100 g in extruded snacks enriched with
higher than in pure corn snacks. The ready-to-eat extrudates tomato powder. The values of p-coumaric acid ranged from
enriched with tomato powder showed a  significantly higher 0.6 mg/100 g for corn grits up to 0.9 mg/100 g for extruded
antioxidant activity than the pure corn snacks. corn snacks with 20, 25 and 30% of powdered tomato. These
Before the heat treatment, the antioxidant activity (FRAP values were significantly lower than those observed in the to-
and DPPH scavenging activity) of raw materials was strong- mato powder (Table 2). The correlation coefficients showed
ly correlated with the  contents of  both total phenolic com- a strong positive effect of the increased content of the additive
pounds (r=0.898  and  r=0.919, respectively) and  lycopene on the  level of  neochlorogenic acid (r=0.886), chlorogenic
(r=0.932  and  r=0.968, respectively). In  the  material pro- acid (r=0.946), and p-coumaric acid (r=0.934).
cessed by  extrusion-cooking, the  antioxidant activity signifi- The highest concentration of rutin, being an active com-
cantly (p<0.001) depended only on the content of the total ponent of corn grits, was at 6.6 mg/100 g. Much lower values
phenolic compounds (Table 5). Corn snacks supplemented were reported for the extruded products because of the ther-
with tomato powder exhibited better antioxidant properties mal sensitivity of  rutin to the  processing conditions [Ka-
than the pure corn crisps. miloglu et al., 2014]. In extruded snacks, the content of rutin
started from 5.0  mg/100  g in  corn snacks and  decreased to
HPLC/DAD results 3.1  mg/100  g in  corn snacks enriched with 30% of  tomato
Under the  applied chromatographic conditions, four (r=-0.767). Rutin was not detected in the tomato powder.
functional compounds were separated and  quantified over Martí et  al. [2015] analyzed different varieties of  fresh
30  min of  running time: neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic tomatoes. Chlorogenic acid showed the  highest concentra-
acid, p-coumaric acid, and rutin (Table 2). For all the com- tion from 0.72 to 2.55 mg/100 g. The contents of p-coumaric
pounds, good linearity of the calibration curve was obtained acid ranged from 0.05  to 0.28  mg/100  g and  of  rutin from
(R2>0.999) within the  tested ranges. Protocatechuic, feru- 0.61 to 0.91 mg/100 g. Slimestad & Verheul [2009] presented
lic, rosmarinic, and  ellagic acids were not identified in  any the  results of  phenolics in  fresh, red tomatoes from differ-
of the samples. Phenolic acids were detected at =320 nm, ent countries. They reported that the content of chlorogenic
and  rutin was quantified at =254  nm. Neochlorogenic acid ranged from 0.17 to 6.90 mg/100 g and p-coumaric acid
A. Wójtowicz et al. 257

TABLE 3. Physical properties and color profile of enriched snacks.

Tomato Expansion Density Hardness WAI WSI

L* a* b* E
addition (%) ratio (-) (kg/m3) (N) (g/g) (%)
0 5.4±0.1a 78.2±1.6a 8.4±0.9a 6.2±0.0a 20.2±0.5a 83.3±1.3a -4.5±2.7a 40.7±4.2a -

5 5.1±0.4a 79.1±3.1a 11.0±1.0ab 5.9±0.0b 13.5±0.4b 81.2±1.3a -3.3±0.7ab 42.0±1.7a 2.7a

10 4.1±0.3b 101.1±3.9ab 10.7±1.1ab 5.2±0.2bc 10.1±0.6c 74.6±1.4ab -1.6±0.7b 48.4±2.4b 12.0b

15 3.5±0.3c 160.7±5.2b 12.5±1.4b 5.6±0.1b 9.8±0.2c 70.7±1.7b 3.2±1.6c 55.9±1.7bc 21.2c

20 2.8±0.4d 294.7±10.8c 17.1±3.6cd 4.0±0.1c 12.0±0.4bc 69.7±1.2b 5.8±0.8d 57.6±0.7c 24.1c

25 2.0±0.1e 607.7±18.3d 16.4±1.8c 3.5±0.2cd 12.9±0.5bc 66.2±0.9bc 11.1±1.0e 57.9±0.6c 28.8cd

30 1.7±0.1e 638.5±22.6e 18.5±3.3d 3.2±0.2d 14.3±0.9b 61.5±2.5c 11.8±1.6e 57.5±3.9c 32.0d

a-e
statistically significant differences in columns at p<0.05 were marked by different letters; means ± standard deviations; WAI – water absorption
index; WSI – water solubility index; L* – brightness (0–100); a* (+100) redness and (-100) greenness; b* (+100) yellowness and (-100) blueness;
E – color change index.

ranged from 0.11 to 0.58 mg/100 g. Kamiloglu et al. [2014] in the work by Caltinoglu et al. [2014], resulted in the lim-
studied the  content of  major tomato phenolics in  different ited sectional expansion of  the  extrudate. It  was justified
tomato products. Rutin content ranged from 9.0  mg/100  g by the dilution effect of pomace on starch due to the increas-
in  dried tomato up to 14.0  mg/100  g in  tomato paste. ing fibre content in  the  processed material. The  presence
The  same authors reported that the  content of  chlorogenic of fibre particles causes the rupture of the cell walls before
acid ranged from 15 mg/100 g in dried and chopped tomatoes the gas bubbles expand to their full size. The increased level
up to 31.0 mg/100 g in tomato juice. of fruit and vegetable additives usually results in the reduced
sectional expansion index of the extrudate, as reported also
Physical properties by Altan et al. [2008] and Stojceska et al. [2010].
A  sudden pressure drop in  the  melted phase exiting The measurements of extrudate apparent density yielded
the  forming die is  responsible for the  formation of  the  ex- values beginning from 78.2 kg/m3 for corn snacks. Only insig-
panded structure of  extrudates [Moscicki & Wójtowicz, nificant effect on density was observed in snacks made with
2011; Wójtowicz et  al., 2013]. The  high expansion index 5% of tomato powder (Table 3). Raising the addition of to-
of cereal snacks is desirable if a high extrudate quality is re- mato powder from 10  to 20% doubled the  density values.
quired. The  results of  the  radial expansion index of  corn The highest density was reported for snacks with 25 and 30%
snacks supplemented with freeze-dried tomato are shown of  the  additive. The  tendency for greater density along with
in  Table 3. It  was found that the  increased quantity of  to- the  increasing level of  powdered tomato was significant
mato in the recipe lowered the snack expansion significantly (p<0.001) and  ran in  parallel with a  high correlation coef-
(p<0.001) with a  high correlation coefficient of  r=-0.993. ficient of  r=0.919. Extrudate density measurement is  useful
The difference of the expansion ratio between the reference in  describing the  extent of  puffing after the  hot dough ex-
sample of corn snacks (5.4) and the extrudate with the high- its the  extruder die, and  a  porous structure is  formed after
est tomato addition (1.7) was 68%. Consequently, due to the  evaporation of  unbound water. Although, the  expan-
the  significant reduction in  extrudate expansion, the  addi- sion ratio results showed only some sectional expansion,
tion of  tomato powder to directly expanded ready-to-eat the  density results additionally showed an all-direction ex-
snacks should not exceed 20% during the  processing un- pansion and  internal integrity of  components. The  higher
der the  applied extrusion-cooking conditions to obtain at- value of  product density was attributed to the  lower expan-
tractive puffed snacks with high sensory notes (Table 4). sion of snacks with a high correlation coefficient of r=-0.918
The  extrudate expansion ratio was significantly correlated (Table 5). Product density or piece density is commonly used
with all the  tested nutritional components, as well as with as a characteristic of the puffing ability of directly expanded
product density, hardness and  the  WAI (Table 5). The  re- extrudates and  strongly depend on the  initial moisture con-
duction of  the  sectional expansion of  snacks may result tent, temperature, feed rate, or the level of an additive. Ondo
from the  lower quantity of  starch replaced by  additives et al. [2013] reported that piece density of extruded cornmeal
in the processed material, which leads to a minor expansion with the addition of alkalized cocoa powder and the injection
and lowers the intensity of formation of the porous structure of CO2 at various temperatures ranged from 400 to 1300 kg/m3.
characteristic of  directly expanded extrudates. As reported Altan et al. [2008] reported bulk density ranging from 370 to
by Dehghan-Shoar et al. [2010], the expansion of lycopene- 1111  kg/m3  for extrudates made with barley flour and  a  to-
-enriched snacks was positively correlated with the specific mato pomace mixture. It increased significantly with a greater
mechanical energy (SME) and the use of fibre-rich tomato amount of  pomace used. A  greater addition of  powdered
derivatives lubricates the  melt and, therefore, diminishes tomato lowered the  total content of  starch in  the  processed
the SME and torque. Consequently, the expansion also de- mixtures, which contributed to the  formation of  a  specific
creased. An increase in the level of tomato pomace, as shown structure of  extrudates. It  resulted in  a  lowered expansion
258 Functional Snacks Enriched with Tomatoes

TABLE 4. The results of sensory profile (5-point scale) and acceptance (9-point hedonic scale) of extruded snacks enriched with powdered tomatoes.

Tomato addition
Shape Color Flavor Taste Crispness Overall quality Acceptance
(%)
0 4.9±0.3a 4.8±0.4a 4.8±0.5a 4.7±0.4a 4.9±0.2a 4.82a 7.3±1.0ab

5 4.7±0.5a 4.5±0.5b 4.8±0.4b 4.8±0.4a 4.8±0.4a 4.72a 8.1±0.9a

10 4.5±0.6ab 4.4±0.5b 4.7±0.5b 4.5±0.5b 4.3±0.9b 4.48ab 7.5±0.8ab

15 4.0±0.7b 4.1±0.6c 4.5±0.6c 4.1±0.3b 4.1±0.8c 4.16b 6.4±1.1c

20 3.4±0.3c 3.6±0.6d 4.3±0.9cd 4.1±0.5b 3.8±0.8d 3.84bc 6.2±1.0d

25 3.3±0.8c 3.5±0.6d 4.3±0.6cd 4.2±0.4c 3.8±0.5d 3.80c 6.7±0.7b

30 3.3±0.7c 3.3±0.6e 4.0±0.5d 4.3±0.6c 4.0±0.7cd 3.78c 6.8±0.6b

Correlation
-0.967** -0.987** -0.970** -0.757* -0.890** -0.968** -0.646ns
coefficients (r)
a-e
statistically significant differences in columns at p<0.05 were marked by different letters; means ± standard deviations.

and increased density of tomato-enriched snacks depending The WAI increase can be temperature-dependent and attrib-
on the increased quantity of additives used. uted to the increased content of gelatinized starch. The re-
The texture characteristic of ready-to-eat snacks very of- placement of  starchy raw material by  vegetables, fruit, or
ten influences consumers’ acceptability [Duizer & Winger, high-fiber additives means that a  lower quantity of  starch
2006]. The assessment of snack texture with the cutting test is subject to swelling and gelatinization during processing,
showed what force is  needed to rupture the  sample. This so the  WAI is  usually much lower with the  higher volume
also allows for hardness measurement. The increased addi- of additives, as reported by Altan et al. [2008]. The results
tion of tomato resulted in a higher breaking force, or hard- of snack expansion measurements, as demonstrated earlier
ness, and  a  more sudden increase and  reduction of  force in  this paper, exhibited the  significance of  p<0.001, corre-
in  force-displacement curves. It  means that a  higher addi- sponding to the  high expansion along with the  high WAI
tion of tomato increased the hardness of the enriched snacks values of  the  product (r=0.955) and  low product density
and made them more compact and brittle in structure. This (r=-0.944) (Table 5). Ondo et  al. [2013] concluded that
is not easily acceptable in puffed snacks, but it could be in- the volume of absorbed water may indicate an indirect es-
teresting for the development of new products, such as stick- timation of  extrudate porosity. The  reported WAI values
-like snacks. The cutting forces ranged from 8.4 N for corn ranged from 6.7 up to 11.2 g/g for increased extrudate po-
snacks up to 18.5 N for snacks with 30% of the additive (Ta- rosity in samples expanded with CO2.
ble 3). The tomato fibre interferes with the air bubble forma- The WSI of extruded products is associated with a wide
tion and increases the thickness of air cell walls. As a result, range of  transformations occurring during the  processing,
a harder product is obtained [Altan et al., 2008; Dehghan- for example, starch chain disordering, depolymerization
-Shoar et  al., 2010]. Hardness was significantly (p<0.05) of  amylose and  amylopectin, starch gelatinization, and  in-
correlated with the nutritional components of corn-tomato creased solubility of  starch. The  intensity of  treatment
snacks as well as with the expansion ratio and the WAI val- in  the  various sections of  the  extruder, involving variable
ues (p<0.001) (Table 5). Altan et  al. [2008] tested extru- heating, shearing, pressure, and  residence time, is  respon-
dates based on barley flour with tomato pomace as an addi- sible for these transformations [Moscicki & Wójtowicz,
tive in 2 to 10%. Based on the three-point bending test with 2011; Ondo et al., 2013; Stojceska et al., 2010]. Additionally,
the test speed of 120 mm/min, they concluded that the hard- the presence of water-insoluble complexes between the mac-
ness of  extrudates varied between 5.6  and  29.8  N.  High romolecules of  amylose and  components like proteins
hardness was highly correlated with high product density and lipids that are formed during the extrusion-cooking may
(r=0.925, p<0.001). reduce the  WSI.  The  higher expansion of  extruded snacks
The WAI is the amount of water absorbed by starch or means the greater water-accessible surface that can interact
other polymers after swelling when making contact with with starch and other water-soluble components. The WSI
water, while the  WSI determines the  quantity of  unbound could also be  used to measure the  molecular degradation
polysaccharides in  a  swollen sample [Bouasla et  al., 2017; of  components released as soluble polysaccharides from
Stojceska et al., 2010]. The WAI of corn-tomato snacks de- starch after the extrusion-cooking. The WSI results, shown
creased significantly (p<0.001) as the  amount of  tomato in Table 3, indicate lowered solubility of snacks with up to
powder increased (r=-0.952). This can be  attributed to 15% of powdered tomato in the recipe and slightly increased
the decrease in the total starch content replaced by tomato WSI values, but the  trend was not significant at this level
and  lowering the  volume of  water absorbed by  starch re- of the additive. The highest WSI was noted for corn snacks,
maining in the extrudate. The WAI reached 6.2 g/g in corn and 20.2% of components leached into the supernatant dur-
snacks and water absorption was lower almost by half when ing the test. The addition of tomato, replacing starchy com-
the  highest amount of  the  additive was used (Table 3). ponents, caused a lower WSI index of the enriched snacks.
A. Wójtowicz et al. 259

TABLE 5. Correlation analysis between nutritional and physical properties of tomato-enriched snacks.

Additive Overall
Lycopene TPC DPPH FRAP Expansion Density Hardness WAI WSI L* a* b*
level quality
Lycopene 0.931**

TPC 0.933** ns

DPPH 0.909** ns 0.987**

FRAP 0.904** ns 0.996** 0.992**

Expansion -0.993** -0.921** -0.934** -0.915** -0.911**

Density 0.919** 0.993** ns ns ns -0.918**

Hardness 0.922** 0.857* 0.819* 0.749* 0.771* -0.896** 0.853*

WAI -0.952** -0.938** -0.832* -0.818* -0.798* 0.955** -0.944** -0.908**

WSI ns ns ns ns ns ns ns ns ns

L* -0.987** -0.988** -0.952** -0.944** -0.934** 0.984** -0.877* -0.861** 0.911** ns

a* 0.983** 0.955** 0.876** 0.842* 0.842* -0.985** 0.956** 0.908** -0.945** ns -0.960**

b* 0.922** 0.750* 0.958** 0.927** 0.953** -0.940** ns 0.816* -0.820* ns -0.939** 0.905**
Overall
-0.968** -0.850* -0.935** -0.897** -0.916** 0.979** -0.852* -0.908** 0.918** ns 0.956** -0.961** -0.974**
quality
Acceptance ns ns ns ns ns ns ns ns ns ns ns ns -0.845* 0.790*
ns
Not significant; * significant at p<0.05; ** significant at p<0.001.
TPC – total phenolic content; DPPH – scavenging ability on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals; FRAP – ferric reducing antioxidant power assay;
WAI – water absorption index; WSI – water solubility index; L* – brightness; a* redness-greenness balance; b* yellowness-blueness balance.

Some previous works showed an increase in the WSI – along increase in  yellowness due to the  yellowish pigments pres-
with a  higher screw speed applied and  with higher levels ent in tomato pulp. The E values showed some significant
of  additives – ranging from 7.1% to 13.0% for the  barley changes in the snack color profile, influenced by both reduced
flour–tomato pomace extrudate [Altan et al., 2008] and from lightness and intensified redness.
7.7 to 29.1%, as reported by Stojceska et al. [2010]. The  sensory assessment scores for taste, shape, color,
flavor, and  crispness of  corn-tomato snacks are presented
Color and sensory attractiveness of snacks in Table 4. One of the most important factors in sensory as-
The color assessment showed lower L* values of snacks sessment is  crispness, nowadays associated with new pro-
extruded with the  higher addition of  tomato (Table 3). cessed foods, like snacks, cereal bars, etc. than with fruit or
The same was also confirmed by the sensory scores. For basic vegetables. Crispness makes products more brittle and easy
corn snacks, the L* value was the highest and reached 83.3. to break down, while crunchiness allows texture to be main-
The L* value was negatively correlated with the level of the ad- tained for a longer time and requires more chewing [Varela
ditive, lycopene and phenolic content, as well as with the a* et al., 2008]. Excellent results of crispness were reported for
and b* color coordinates (Table 5). Similar observations were corn snacks and extruded products based on the recipes with
reported by Dehghan-Shoar et al. [2010]. The greenness-red- 5 and 10% of tomato powder; increasing the quantity of to-
ness balance in the snacks enriched with tomato varied from mato in the recipe reduced crispness and increased crunchi-
-4.5 in control corn snacks without additives up to 11.8 in ex- ness of the tested snacks. This could be related to the low ex-
trudates with 30% tomato content. The nature of freeze-dried pansion ratio, high density and lower aeration of the product
tomato used for snack supplementation may be the key fac- processed with the increased amount of tomato in the recipe,
tor of significantly higher redness a* of snacks improved with as indicated by  the  high correlation coefficients (Table  5).
the higher level of the additive (r=0.983, p<0.001). The val- Also notes given to color decreased significantly along with
ues of  color parameter b* varied from 40.7  in  corn snacks the  higher level of  tomato in  snacks. The  consumers tak-
up to 57.5  in  tomato-enriched snacks. High yellowness was ing part in the test noted that the increased level of tomato
observed in  all tested snack samples due to the  presence translated into more intense redness of  snacks, which was
of  carotenoids, both in  corn grits as the  basic raw material confirmed in  color measurements (Table 5). As regards
and  in  tomatoes as the  additive. Similar observations were the shape of extrudates, significant differences (p>0.05) be-
made by Caltinoglu et al. [2014] for corn crisps with an ad- tween the samples were noticed with a high negative correla-
dition of tomato pulp. They found some increase in redness tion coefficient, which was reflected in the poorer notes given
in snacks with the addition of tomato pulp due to the pres- to snacks with the increased level of the additive (r=-0.967).
ence of  lycopene pigment in  tomato pulp and  a  very slight This opinion may be  attributed to the  testers’ remarks that
260 Functional Snacks Enriched with Tomatoes

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