Over gelatinization of extruded rice noodles during open wet steam cooking is a major problem in the food processing industry and occurs due to the condensation of water droplets that come into contact with noodle strings during the steaming process. This issue may arise due to the presence of stuck noodles in the finished product. Therefore, 5 prototype designs; wooden frame enclosed with polythene sheet (A), wooden frame enclosed with gray cloth (B), wooden frame enclosed with a plywood sheet with two steam inlets in the galvanized door (C), wooden frame enclosed with plywood sheet with multiple steam inlets in the galvanized door (D), and completely enclosed galvanized chamber were made (E). All steam chambers had multiple steam inlets in lateral walls except the chamber with gray cloth. Red rice noodles were prepared from the combination (16% w/w moisture, 200 μm, water at ambient temperature (30±2℃), control atmosphere, 20 min) and fed into five different types of prototype designs to complete the cooking (gelatinization) process. The performance of the five prototype designs was evaluated in terms of the percentage of dried noodles coming out of each design in a single straight form. According to the results, the percentage of dried noodles coming out of each design was (A-50.0±7.1%, B-15.0±5.0%, C-15.0±5.0%, D-50.0±7.1%, E-77.5±4.3% w/w) analyzed. The mean values of all designs revealed that the effective prototype design was "design E" (steam chamber consisted of a completely enclosed galvanized chamber with multiple steam inlets in the two lateral sides). It was able to produce a higher percentage of straight single noodles when compared to other designs. In conclusion, design E is the effective steam chamber to produce straight single rice noodles for the market. The design of a steam chamber is also a very important aspect to avoid over gelatinization thus producing straight and single form of rice noodles strings.

Purpose: Different maturity stages and extraction methods of soursop fruit could affect the antioxidant activity of the fruit. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity and phenolic content of soursop at four different maturity stages namely, Immature Stage (IM), Partially Mature Stage (PM), Fully Mature Stage (FM), and Well Ripened Stage (WR) using four extraction methods.Research Method: Sonication and maceration using a stir plate were used as extraction techniques, while absolute ethanol and 70% v/v ethanol were used as extraction solvents. The Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and DPPH radical scavenging activity were used to determine the antioxidant efficacy, while the Folin-Ceocalteu assay was used to determine the total phenolic content (TPC).Findings: From the analyses, the TPC, FRAP assay, and DPPH activity significantly (p<0.05) changed with the maturity stages. The highest TPC (165.67±2.86 mg GAE/g) was observed in the 70% ethanol extract of the WR stage with the sonication extraction method. The highest (p<0.05) FRAP value (393.91±4.23 µmol Fe+2/L) was observed in 70% ethanol extracts of FM with sonication extraction. The highest DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50 60.13±0.18 ppm) was recorded in 70% ethanol extract of the WR stage with sonication extraction. TPC and antioxidant activity increased (p<0.05) as maturity progressed. Research Limitations: Time was limited to evaluate the IC50 values of the IM, PM, and FM stages.Originality/ Value: Soursop at the WR stage, extracted using 70% ethanol with sonication extraction, comprised a high phenolic content and thus, exhibited strong antioxidant activity. Therefore, the findings explore its potential as a health-promoting antioxidant source.

A considerable postharvest loss has been documented in banana due to its very perishable nature and abundant production in Sri Lanka. The present study was conducted to develop banana biscuits utilizing banana flour obtained from three different local cultivars (ash plantain, seeni and ambun banana) with the purpose of decreasing the postharvest losses of banana. The composite mixture of unripe banana flour and wheat flour with varied degrees such as 0, 20, 40, 60, and 100% w/w were utilized to create biscuits from each banana cultivar and an initial sensory evaluation was carried out. Proximate composition, microbial qualities, and the shelf life were assessed for the biscuits developed. The biscuits containing 100% w/w ash plantain flour, 100% w/w ambun banana flour, and 80% w/w seeni banana flour were ranked at the highest for assessed properties in second sensory analysis. Among these, 100% w/w ash plantain biscuit was picked as the best product utilizing second sensory analysis. The ash, moisture, fiber, fat, protein, and carbohydrates of ash plantain biscuit were 2.3 ± 0.1%, 3.78 ± 0.5%, 4.33 ± 0.5%, 0.33 ± 0.01%, 4.56 ± 0.25%, and 87.73 ± 3.5%, respectively while moisture content and pH changes of all types of biscuits were ranged within 6.5 - 7.3 and 3.2 - 4.0%, respectively during the storage period. Microbial studies revealed that biscuits can be preserved for two months in biaxially oriented polypropylene containers under ambient temperature. In conclusion, the banana flour may be efficiently used to create the biscuits thereby lowering the postharvest losses of banana.