Evaluating the synergistic effect of emulsifiers as antistaling agents in the improvement of quality characteristics of ready-to-eat chapati (Indian flatbread)

Chapati is an unleavened flatbread precisely consumed as a staple food across India and the Middle East. The staling limits the shelf life of the sensory qualities of chapati. Emulsifiers act as antistaling agents due to their structural interaction with starch and water in food. Hence, an optimal combination of emulsifiers, namely diacetyl tartaric acid esters of monoglycerides (DATEM), sodium stearoyl-2 lactylate (SSL), and glycerol monostearate (GMS), was formulated using response surface modelling to study their synergistic action in improving the quality of RTE chapaties. The responses were water activity, soluble starch, hardness, lightness, and sensory characteristics. The optimized combination of emulsifiers was 0.26% DATEM, 0.5% SSL, and 1% GMS. Emulsifiers in chapati increased the moisture and soluble starch percentage. The reduction in hardness value suggests the softness effect of emulsifiers with increased sensory acceptability. A lower enthalpy value (479.6 J.g-1) was observed in optimized chapati than that of the control (580.4 J.g-1) from the DSC thermograms. The TGA studies illustrated the mass loss at (T > 375℃), was 18.2% and 16.52% in optimized and control chapaties, respectively. Hence, the study suggests the optimized combination of emulsifiers is useful in improving the palatability and shelf stability of ready-to-eat preserved chapaties.