0139–3006/$ 20.00 © 2015 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest Acta Alimentaria, Vol. 44 (2), pp. 251–258 (2015) DOI: 10.1556/066.2015.44.0002 DEVELOPMENT OF TEXTURED DEFATTED SUNFLOWER MEAL BY EXTRUSION USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY S.R. BHISE*, A. KAUR a , M.R. MANIKANTAN b and B. SINGH a a Department of Food Science and Technology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. Punjab. India b Food Grains and Oilseeds Division, CIPHET, Ludhiana. India (Received: 12 October 2013; accepted: 21 February 2014) Sunflower (PSH 569) was used to obtain textured defatted meal. Proximate analysis, water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI), fat absorption capacities (FAC), foaming capacity (FC), and bulk density (BD) were determined. The objective of the study was the optimization of extrusion conditions for production of textured defatted sunflower meal using response surface methodology (RSM) by evaluating functional properties. It was dried, grinded, and sieved to eliminate hull and fibre. Numerical optimization provided eight solutions with desirability value varying from 0.81 to 0.82. Range of predicted values of FAC (80.96–90.49), WHC (1.95–2.12), WSI (3.22–3.36), WAI (2.84–3.08), bulk density (0.31–0.36), and foaming capacity (14.39–16.30) were used for numerical optimization. Best extrusion conditions were 16.36% feed moisture, 300 r.p.m. screw speed, and 149.40 °C barrel temperature. Textured sunflower defatted meal was prepared using the above optimized conditions. Keywords: extrusion, sunflower meal, texturization, response surface methodology Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is one of the world’s leading oilseed crops, second only to soybean for total oil production. Industrial sunflower meal cannot be directly used as a food because of their high fibre content, and because of the presence of some undesirable constituents (such as hulls, polyphenolic pigments, etc.), or precursors of toxic compounds (glucosinolates, etc.). Defatted flours, a by-product of the oil industry, constitute an important source of proteins. The sunflower defatted meal is underused, being almost exclusively employed for animal feeding in spite of its high content of highly digestible proteins with an important content of essential amino acids (except for lysine and sulphur-containing amino acids). The high concentration of phenolic compounds of which the majority is chlorogenic acid with small amounts of caffeic acid (GONZALEZ PEREZ & VEREIJKEN, 2008) is the main reason for the underutilization of sunflower oil cake. In addition, these compounds reduce protein solubility and cause unwanted organoleptic characteristics (PRASAD, 1990). Recently, sunflower meal was used to develop protein concentrates and isolates, but both are deficient in fibre content and the cost is higher than of textured defatted meal. RSM has important application in the design, development, and formulation of new products, as well as in the improvement of existing product design. It defines the effect of the independent variables, alone or in combination, on the processes. Providing safe, nutritious, and wholesome food for poor and undernourished populations had been a major challenge for the developing world. More specifically, protein-energy malnutrition is among the most serious problems developing countries are facing today (BOYE et al., 2010). It had been estimated that 800 million malnourished people exist in least developed countries. Development of nutritious foods has been suggested by FAO to combat malnutrition among children. Consumption of high quality proteins is essential for maintaining good health. Due to the price and relative scarcity of food obtained from animals, it is * To whom correspondence should be addressed. Phone: +91-161-4616676; fax: +91-161-2400945; e-mail: sureshbhise_cft@yahoo.co.in