Addition of acid-treated unripe plantain flour modified the starch digestibility, indigestible carbohydrate content and antioxidant capacity of semolina spaghetti

Unripe plantain presents a high content of resistant starch (RS); however, upon cooking the fruit, the RS is transformed into digestible starch. In an attempt to keep the levels of indigestible carbohydrates high in unripe plantain flour (UPF), it was acid-treated (modified unripe plantain flour: MUPF) and used for spaghetti preparation. The semolina typically used in the finished pasta was substituted with equal parts of MUPF and UPF during the preparation. Chemical composition, starch digestibility, antioxidant capacity, and sensory analysis were evaluated in the finished product. When compared to the control sample, total dietary fiber content had a 3-fold increase due to substitution of semolina with MUPF, and it was doubled for the case of substitution with UPF. Spaghetti with MUPF presented lower slowly digestible starch (SDS) than its counterpart with UPF. Spaghetti with MUPF showed the lowest hydrolysis rate and glycemic index. Similar antioxidant capacity was found in spaghetti containing both MUPF and UPF. A slight decrease in the overall acceptability of spaghetti with MUPF compared with the control was observed.