Optimization of Extrusion Cooking for Enhanced Physicochemical Properties in Jackfruit Seed (Artocarpus altilis) and Nixtamalized Maize (Zea mays L.) Flour Blend

Extrusion is a key process in the production of ready-to-eat snacks, with a wide processing capacity of non-conventional raw materials such as jackfruit seed flour and nixtamalized corn, which improves the nutritional profile of the snacks. This study aims to optimize the extrusion cooking parameters of extrusion temperature (ET), moisture content (MC), and the ratio of jackfruit seed flour in nixtamalized maize flour (JSF/NMF) to enhance the physicochemical properties of ready-to-eat extruded products. The process parameters and JSF/NMF were optimized using a Box–Behnken design and response surface methodology. JSF/NMF and ET were found to significantly (p < 0.05) affect specific mechanical energy (SME), the expansion index (EI), hardness (H), the water absorption index (WAI), the browning index (BI), and overall acceptance (OA). The optimal conditions were an ET of 145.15 °C, MC of 22 g/100 g, and JSF/NMF of 70 g/100 g, which led to an extrudate with an SME of 273.38 J/g, EI of 1.12, H of 58.75 N, WAI of 6.14 g/g, BI of 61.68, OA of 4.56, protein content of 12.10 g/100 g, and fiber content of 4.86 g/100 g. It was demonstrated that the use of jackfruit seed flour and nixtamalized maize flour as non-conventional flour in the preparation of ready-to-eat snacks through extrusion was feasible in a single-screw extruder, obtaining favorable results in quality parameters that characterize extruded snacks.