Extraction of dietary fiber and encapsulated phytochemical enriched functional pasta from Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) peel waste

Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) peels are treated as an agro-waste material and are generally discarded. Dietary fiber and phytochemicals from this agro-waste material can serve as important functional ingredients. The aim of this study was to utilize bottle gourd peels for extraction of dietary fiber and phytochemicals and use them as functional ingredients in the preparing pasta. Dietary fiber was extracted using alkaline extraction (AEDF), ultrasound-assisted alkaline extraction (UAEDF) and enzymatic extraction (EADF). The optimised conditions for extraction using ultrasound-assisted alkaline extraction were 1: 60 solute to solvent ratio, 40 min sonication time, and 40 % ultrasonic amplitude. The physicochemical and functional properties of extracted dietary fiber, results showed that dietary fiber from ultrasound-assisted alkaline extraction gave a better result for thermal, oil and water holding properties. Phytochemicals were extracted and identified using RP-HPLC followed by encapsulation using 2 % sodium alginate solution as the wall material. Functional pasta was prepared by incorporation of extracted dietary fiber and encapsulated phytochemicals in 5 different formulations of durum wheat semolina (g), extracted DF (g) and phytochemical beads (mg). The results of the study revealed that bottle gourd peel could be used as an inexpensive source of dietary fiber and phytochemicals to prepare functional foods