Processing effects on bioactive components and functional properties of moringa leaves: development of a snack and quality evaluation

The effect of alkali pre-treatment on the nutritional,
anti-nutritional and functional properties of moringa
(Moringa oleifera) leaf flour (MLF), and sensory assessment
of MLF-based snack product was investigated. The
pre-treatment reduced the content of anti-nutrients, but improved
the functional properties of MLF. The MLF-based
ready-to-eat puffed snack exhibited high protein (21.6 g/
100 g) and dietary fiber (14.8 g/100 g) contents while it
contained a low fat content of 3.7 g/100 g. The HPLC
analysis of phenolics revealed that chlorogenic and gallic
acids were the predominant phenolic acids present in the
raw leaf flour, whereas p-coumaric, caffeic and gallic acids
were the major phenolic acids in the pre-treated leaf flour.
Flavonoids such as catechin, kaempferol, rutin and luteolin
were present in both MLFs and the prepared snack. Overall
sensory quality indicated that the snacks had acceptable
textural attributes and improved nutritional profile at the
20 % level of substitution. It is possible to develop a
ready-to-eat convenience food product with good functional
and nutritional properties using pre-treated moringa leaf.