Browsing by Author "Rytkönen, Laura"

Liquorice is a confection which is manufactured by cooking. Main ingredients in the liquorice usually are extract from the root of the liquorice plant, sugar, wheat flour, molasses and water. The literature review focused on the raw materials and the manufacturing process of liquorice, starch and starch gelatinization as well as quinoa. The aim of this study was to find out whether liquorice confection can be produced by organic quinoa flour instead of wheat flour. Also the effects of processing parameters (water content of the feed, mass flow and screw speed) on the water content, water activity, hardness and diameter of the liquorice was investigated. Reference sample was made from organic whole-grain speltflour. In the experimental research, liquorices were manufactured on a laboratory scale with a twin-screw extruder according to Box-Behnken design, where the variables were water content of the mass (21, 23.5, 26%) mass flow (70, 100, 130 g/min) and screw speed (40, 55, 70 rpm). The results were analysed by using PLSR (Partial Least Square Regression). Organic quinoa liquorice succeeded at all water contents used. Instead the liquorice manufactured from whole-grain speltflour succeeded only at water content of 26%. Probably the spelt flour would have needed bigger water content and higher temperature for the gelatinization of starch. Water content of the mass was the only variable which was affecting statistically significantly to the moisture content and water activity of the organic quinoa liquorice. After storage for four months water content of the mass was affecting statistically significantly to the hardness and diameter of the organic quinoa liquorice. In the PLSR model for organic quinoa liquorice, the coefficient of determination R2 was 41.9% and the coefficient of prediction Q2 was 13.8%. After four months storage the coefficient of determination R2 was 36.1% and the coefficient of prediction Q2 was 15.7%. PLSR-analysis was not made for organic spelt liquorice because there were not enough samples from different experiment points. The present study showed that liquorice can be produced from organic quinoa flour with a twin-screw extruder.