European Journal of Nutrition & Food Safety

Storage stability is a critical determinant of the commercial acceptability of ready-to-eat extruded products. This study evaluated the influence of packaging materials on the quality and storage stability of tuber crop-barnyard millet composite extrudates. The extrudates were produced from a composite flour containing 40% maize, 30% cassava, 20% lesser yam and 10% barnyard millet at a barrel temperature of 130 °C and a screw speed of 350 rpm. Samples were packed in polyester, polyethylene, aluminium foil and nitrogen-flushed aluminium foil pouches and stored under ambient conditions for 90 days. Functional properties and proximate composition were assessed at 15-day intervals. Packaging material, storage period and their interaction significantly affected the measured quality attributes (P ≤ 0.05). Expansion ratio, water solubility index, lightness, protein, fat, fibre and ash contents decreased during storage, whereas bulk density, water absorption index, hardness, moisture and carbohydrate contents increased. The magnitude of these changes varied among the packaging systems. The nitrogen-flushed aluminium foil pouch showed the smallest changes in functional and compositional properties and provided the greatest retention of product quality throughout storage. The aluminium foil pouch was the next most effective packaging material, whereas polyethylene provided the least protection. These findings indicate that nitrogen-flushed aluminium foil packaging is the most suitable among the evaluated systems for maintaining the quality of lesser yam-barnyard millet composite extrudates during 90 days of ambient storage.