Ready to eat extruded snacks were formulated by the flours of parboiled rice, bitter-gourd water chestnut and skim milk powder. The effects of extrusion processing parameters such as feed moisture (8-16 %, wb), blend ratio (3-15 %), barrel temperature (120-200 °C), die head temperature (160-240 °C) and screw speed (100-140 rpm) on the textural properties (. crispness, hardness and cutting strength) of extruded snacks were investigated by response surface methodology using CCRD design. The values of crispness, hardness and cutting strength of extrudates were obtained ranged from 6 to 14 (No. of peaks), kg to kg and kg to kg respectively in this research study. The recommended optimum extrusion cooking conditions were found as feed moisture content ( %), blend ratio of bitter-gourd: water chestnut (12:6), barrel temperature (176 °C), die head temperature (180 °C) and screw speed (130 rpm). | Effect of extrusion parameters on textural properties of parboiled rice based bittergourd and water chestnut blended extrudates
