Cooking qualities, nutritional properties, microstructure, and sensory evaluation of noodles incorporated with angkung (Basella alba L.) fruit juice

The significant nutritional potential and widespread availability of angkung (Basella alba L.) fruit lead to its utilisation as a functional dietary component in noodle fortification. Food fortification is a common approach to reduce the occurrence of micronutrient deficiencies. The present work thus aimed to assess the effects of incorporating angkung fruit juice into red violet noodles (RVN) on various responses, including cooking quality, colour, phytochemical properties, antioxidant activity, and sensory evaluation. The RVN was produced by incorporating angkung fruit juice at different concentrations: 0% (control), 2% (RVN1), 4% (RVN2), and 6% (RVN3), utilising a completely randomised design (CRD) with one factor and three replications. The present work then assessed the cooking quality indicators, including water absorption ratio (WAR), cooking loss (CL), cooking time (CT), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Colour measurements were obtained using the L*, a*, and b* parameters, alongside evaluations of total phenolic content, total flavonoid levels, antioxidant activity, and sensory assessment. The WAR in noodles incorporated with angkung fruit juice was significantly lower (p < 0.05) compared to the control. The WAR values of RVN ranged from 136.41 to 141.86%, while that of the control value was 156.23%. The cooking loss for RVN ranged from 7.14 to 8.43%, while that of the control group was 5.56%. The control and treatment groups demonstrated a statistically significant difference in CT. SEM results indicated that increasing the incorporation of angkung fruit juice to RVN led to larger and more porous gel, suggesting that various compounds were dissolved during the process. The cooked RVN exhibited statistically significant differences in L* and b* compared to the control group (L* = 68.53; b* = 20.45). The cooked RVN demonstrated decreased values of lightness and yellowness. The a* value of the cooked RVN was significantly greater than that of the control group (a = 1.09). The RVN samples demonstrated a significantly greater total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity compared to the control group. The incorporation of angkung fruit juice resulted in a decrease in the sensory evaluation scores for RVN. Results indicated that angkung could have significant potential as a commercially viable fruit in the food industry. Future research should incorporate in-vitro and in-vivo analyses to further assess the bioavailability and potential health impacts of angkung fruit juice's antioxidant and phytochemical components. Ultimately, the present work aimed to implement, advertise, and promote the widespread use of RVN as a nutritionally advantageous dietary option.