Techno-Functional Characterization of Different Plant Based Powders for Food Formulations

Department of Food Processing and Technology School of Vocational, Studies and Applied Sciences Gautam Buddha University

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Abstract

The growing demand for convenient and health-promoting foods has increased interest in functional ingredients rich in bioactive compounds. Therefore, plant-based powders were developed from spinach leaves, black carrot, beetroot, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis petals, and orange peel, and their techno-functional, physicochemical, and antioxidant properties were evaluated. The selected raw materials were cleaned, tray dried, and pulverized into powders. Proximate analysis revealed moisture content ranging from 5.80–13.67% and ash content from 3.00–14.95%. Functional characterization showed solubility values of 14.66–30.66%, water absorption capacity of 1.14–9.58 g/g, oil absorption capacity of 1.05–1.57 g/g, swelling power of 4.05–10.48 g/g, foaming capacity of 8.66–20.00%, and stability of 81.66–94.50%. Among the powders, black carrot exhibited the highest water absorption capacity (9.58±0.14 g/g) and swelling power (10.48±0.02 g/g), while hibiscus powder showed the highest solubility (30.66±0.57%) and stability (94.50±0.05%). The bioactive potential of the powders was assessed through total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and DPPH radical scavenging activity. The results demonstrated that the developed plant-based powders possessed desirable functional characteristics and significant antioxidant potential owing to the presence of phenolic compounds and natural pigments. These findings indicate that the powders can be effectively utilized as functional ingredients in the development of value-added food products with enhanced nutritional quality and storage stability. All analyses were performed in triplicate and the results were expressed as mean ± standard deviation.