J Food Sci Nutr Res 2022; 5 (1): 358-370 DOI: 10.26502/jfsnr.2642-11000087 Journal of Food Science and Nutrition Research Vol. 5 No. 1 - March 2022. [ISSN 2642-1100] 358 Research Article Development of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) Inulin extruded Snacks and Evaluation of their Prebiotic and Safety Potentials Uchenna Umeonuorah a* , Gibson Arueya b , Temitope Ogunbanwo c , Yetunde Ogunremi d a,b Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Technology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. c Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. d Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. * Corresponding Author: Uchenna Umeonuorah, Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Technology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Received: 28 January 2022; Accepted: 07 February 2022; Published: 15 March 2022 Citation: Uchenna Umeonuorah, Gibson Arueya, Temitope Ogunbanwo, Yetunde Ogunremi. Development of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) Inulin extruded snacks and evaluation of their prebiotics and safety potentials. Journal of Food Science and Nutrition Research 5 (2022): 358-370. Abstract Food industries are currently facing the challenge of meeting consumers’ demand for functional foods that provide additional health benefits. Development of appropriate extruded food snacks with inulin inclusion and its associated prebiotic benefits has not be fully exploited. This work is therefore aimed at bridging this gap. Okra pod (Abelmoschus esculentus L) inulin was blended with rice flour and other raw material inputs (sugar, salt, fat and water). These were subjected to extrusion conditions (feed rate: 300g/min, barrel temperature: 125 o C and internal pressure: 20.5x10 -5 N/M 2 ) for 30min. Thereafter, the extrudates were air cooled at room temperature. The resulting extrudates were subjected to bifidogenic invitro analysis using pure probiotic organisms (Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus bulgaricus) and safety analyses using animal studies (wistar rats n=50). There were no significant differences (P<0.05) on the percentage weight gain of the experimental animals. Wistar rats fed with experimental snack samples showed progressive weight gain compared with the ones fed with control sample. Mean haemoglobin values were between 15.57mg/dl and 16.93mg/dl indicating that the snack samples are safe for human consumption. Generally, the developed snack samples were proved to have prebiotic potentials as they enhanced the growth of Bifidobacterial bifidum and Lactobacillus bulgaricus bacteria thrice more than the control sample.