Physico-chemical and sensory properties of extruded breakfast cereals made of brown pea and oat

Due to the nutritional and sustainability benefits, there is a growing demand for legume products; one of the ways to increase product variety is to use them in different ready-to-eat products. Higher protein and lower starch content in legumes compared to cereals typically used in extruded products may have an impact on physico-chemical properties of the final product. Besides, legumes have specific bitter and green flavour, which affects the overall liking of the product. The specific flavour can be decreased using additional ingredients and/or different technological processes. This study investigated impact of brown pea and oat flour proportion, additional ingredient, and technological process on the extruded ring and pillow physico-chemical and sensory properties. Results showed that breakfast cereal type, ingredient content and processing method did not have a high impact on product bulk density, expansion ratio, water solubility index, and colour. Extruded pillows had higher moisture content and higher water activity than extruded rings. Products with less brown pea had higher crunchiness, lower hardness, and lower water absorption index. Sensory evaluation showed that panellists preferred extruded pillows due to their texture. However, extruded rings received higher overall liking. Greeny and bitter aftertaste was more noticeable for samples without sugar, yet it did not affect overall liking significantly. It can be seen that brown pea has the potential to be used as a raw material in different breakfast cereal production. However, further studies on improving product physicochemical and sensory properties should be made by adjusting product recipes and selecting a proper technological process.