Nutritional evaluation of mushroom powder fortified cookies during storage

Introduction

The evolution of humanity has been greatly influenced by bakery products, which provide a vital source of variety, convenience and a nutrient-dense food component to fulfil the demands of contemporary lives. The demand of healthy, natural, nutritious and tasty dehydrated food products is continuously increasing (Andhale et al., 2021) [4] . The increasing consumer demand of dehydrated products in national and international market indicates that there is great potential of processing and production of value added products such as cookies using mushrooms. Products from bakeries, especially cakes, cookies, breads, and biscuits, Partially replacing wheat flour with mushroom powder in food products is reported to enhance their dietary fibre content (Nordiana et al., 2019) [19] . The present research was undertaken to study the effect of incorporation of mushroom powder on physical, proximate, textural and sensory attributes of cookies during storage.

Materials and method

Procurement and pre-processing: Fresh button mushrooms were procured from local market. Other ingredients required for preparation of cookies such as wheat flour, finger millet flour, sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, vanaspati ghee, etc. were also procured from local market. Fresh mushrooms subjected to cleaning and slicing. Mushroom slices were dried under the tray dryer with pre-treatment of 500 ppm potassium metabisulphite (KMS) at 50 °C drying temperature. The dried mushroom slices were converted into powder using pulverizer and used for fortification in cookies.

Formulation of cookies:

The button mushroom cookies were formulated using various ingredients such as wheat flour, finger millet flour and mushroom powder as the main ingredients. Others like sugar (50 g), vanaspati ghee (50 g), sodium bicarbonate (0.5 g), ammonium bicarbonate (0.5 g). The cookies were standardized using different proportions of wheat flour, finger millet flour and mushroom powder as 80:20:0, 80:17.5:2.5, 80:15:5, 80:12.5:7.5 and 80:10:10 designated as T 0 , T 1 , T 2 , T 3 and T 4 , respectively. Preliminary trials and sensory evaluation was carried out before the cookies were formulated.

Treatment details:

The mushroom powder cookies were prepared by using different proportions of mushroom powder (MP), wheat flour (WF) and finger millet flour (FMF) shown below:

Chemical characteristics of raw material

The chemical characteristics such as moisture content, protein, fat, crude fibre, ash and carbohydrate content of fresh button mushroom and mushroom powder were determined as per the standard procedures as described in A.A.C.C. (2000) [1] .

Physical characteristics of mushroom fortified cookies

The physical characteristics such as weight, diameter, and thickness of cookies were calculated as per A.A.C.C. (2000) [1] methods. Weight in terms of grams (g) was measured using electronic weighing balance. Diameter and thickness of cookies in terms of millimetre (mm) were measured with the help of vernier calliper having least count 0.01. The spread ratio was calculated as weight/thickness.

Proximate composition of mushroom fortified cookies

The moisture content, protein, fat, crude fibre, ash and carbohydrate content of mushroom fortified cookies were determined as per the standard procedures as described in A.A.C.C. (2000) [1] . The moisture content of cookies determined by placing 20 g sample in a moisture box and dried for 5 hours at 105 °C and cooled in desiccators for 30 minutes. The sample was weighed after cooling. The method was repeated until the constant weight was obtained. The protein content of cookies was estimated by determining total nitrogen content using standard Micro-Kjeldhal method. Fat content of the cookies was estimated by the soxhlet method. The crude fiber content in the products was estimated by A.A.A.C. (2000) [1] standard procedure. Total ash content was determined by placing the sample in a muffle furnace at 550 ℃ for 4 h and the residue left in the crucible was weighed after cooling. The carbohydrate content in the cookies were obtained by subtracting from 100, the sum of values of moisture, protein and fat content per 100 g of the sample (Raghuramulu, et al., 1993) [22] .

Textural properties of mushroom fortified cookies

Textural properties of cookies such as cutting force, crushing force and penetration force was measured by using Instron Universal Testing machine (Make: Shimadzu; Japan Model: AX-G). Machine was fitted with the 1 KN load cell. Different probe assemblies were used for different tests.

Machine was connected to computer via software. This software converts the received signals, collects the data and converts it in graphical representation (Texture profile) and prepares the report of individual test. Each cookie was placed on the loading cell and compressed as per the standard procedures given by Singh et al., (1993) [28] .

Storage of mushroom fortified cookies

Mushroom fortified cookies were stored in 100 microns Aluminum Laminated Pouches (ALP) at room temperature for 90 days. Stored cookies were evaluated for sensory, textural as well as proximate composition at an interval of 30 days.

Sensory evaluation

Sensory evaluation of mushroom powder cookies were carried on 9-point hedonic scale. The cookies were evaluated for sensory attributes by a panel of 10 semitrained judges, for different parameter like colour, appearance, texture, flavour and overall acceptability. Their judgments were recorded and mean values of 10 semitrained judges were considered for evaluating the quality of cookies.

Statistical analysis

The obtained data were analyzed statistically to determine the statistical significance of applied treatments, according to the procedure given by Rangaswamy (2010) [23] .

Completely Randomized Design (CRD) and Factorial Completely Randomized Design (FCRD) were used to test the significance of results. The analysis of variance revealed at p<0.05 significance level, S.E. and C.D. at 5% level.

Results and Discussion

Chemical characteristics of raw material

The findings obtained for chemical characteristics of fresh button mushroom and mushroom powder are presented here: For fresh button mushroom, the results are in line with the findings reported by Nadir et al., (2020) [18] . Harshavardhini and Sharma (2021) [10] reported that fresh button mushroom had 91.7% moisture, 2.1% crude protein, 0.33% fat, 1.3% of crude fibre, 0.76% ash and 3.78% carbohydrates, respectively. The chemical characteristics of mushroom powder are in comparable with the findings reported by Kumar and Barmanray (2007) [15] also Majeed et al. (2017) [17] .

Physical characteristics of mushroom fortified cookies

The physical characteristics of cookies prepared from mushroom powder and the results pertaining to the same are given in Table 3. From table, it was observed that weight of cookies decreases from T 0 to T 4 . The control treatment had highest weight of cookies as 12.83g followed by T 1 , T 2 , T 3 and T 4 as 12.39, 12.01, 11.79 and 11.57g, respectively. The diameter of cookies increases as powder concentration increases from T 0 to T 4 . Treatment T 0 had lowest diameter as 43.86 mm whereas T 4 had highest as 45.97 mm. The thickness of cookies decreases with increasing powder concentration. Control treatment T 0 had highest thickness 16.45 mm and treatment T 4 had the lowest as 14.29 mm, respectively. The spread ratio of cookies increases from 2.67 to 3.21 with increasing powder concentration from 0 to 10%, respectively. Similar result was reported by Kumar and Barmanray (2007) [15] for button mushroom powder fortified biscuits and Kulthe et al. (2017) [14] for pearl millet fortified cookies, Shams et al. (2023) [26] , Owheruo et al. (2023) [21] .

Proximate composition of mushroom fortified cookies during storage

Moisture is a crucial factor to consider when assessing the quality and acceptability of products (Devi et al., 2024) [9] . Table 4 shows the data regarding changes in moisture content of mushroom fortified cookies during storage.

During storage, moisture content of mushroom cookies shows gradual increase, the moisture content of treatment T 0 increased from 2.09 to 2.51% followed by treatment T 1 as 2.17% to 2.72%, treatment T 2 as 2.23 to 2.83%, treatment T 3 as 2.29 to 2.93% and treatment T 4 as 2.32 to 3.21%, respectively. Overall, treatment T 0 had lowest moisture content and treatment T 4 has highest moisture content throughout the storage period. The increased in moisture content with increasing powder concentration is observed may be attributed to the addition of mushrooms, as well as their naturally high water content and ability to retain water (Nordiana et al., 2019) [19] . Cookies moisture content increased while being stored, possibly because of the environment or the materials used in the packaging (Sharoon et al. 2014; Sujitha and Thirumani, 2014) [27,30] . The protein content of cookies increases with increase in powder concentration and decreases with storage period. The treatment T 0 had lowest protein content and treatment T 4 had highest throughout the storage period. The increase in protein content with increase in powder concentration was due to higher protein content of mushroom powder (Salehi, 2019; Biao et al., 2020; Owheruo et al., 2023) [25,7,21] . During storage, the protein content of treatment T 0 decreases from 8.66 to 7.85%, treatment T 1 from 8.79 to 8.09%, treatment T 2 from 8.92 to 8.22%, treatment T 3 from 9.05 to 8.51% and treatment T 4 from 9.20 to 8.65%, respectively. The decrease in protein content of mushroom fortified cookies during storage is due to proteolytic effect (Kumar and Barmanray, 2007) [15] . The crude fibre content of cookies increases with powder concentration and decreases with storage period. Throughout the storage period, treatment T 4 consistently shows the highest crude fibre content, while treatment T 0 shows the lowest, with all the other treatments exhibiting a gradual decrease in crude fibre content over time. Increase in fibre content with increase in powder concentration was due to higher fibre content of mushroom powder (Agu et al., 2020; Bello et al., 2017) [2,6] . During storage, crude fibre content of treatment T 0 decreases from 1.69 to 1.32%, treatment T 1 from 1.74 to 1.41%, treatment T 2 from 1.82 to 1.52%, treatment T 3 from 1.89 to 1.64% and treatment T 4 from 1.95 to 1.75%, respectively. The decrease in fibre content of cookies during storage may be attributed to several factors, including oxidation, moisture absorption, and enzymatic activity.

The fat content of cookies decreases with increase in powder concentration and storage as well. The treatment T 0 had highest fat content and treatment T 4 had lowest throughout the storage. The decrease in fat content of cookies with addition of mushroom powder was obviously due to replacement of wheat flour containing higher fat with low fat mushroom powder (Owheruo et al., 2023) [21] . Similar findings were reported by Bello et al. (2017) [6] as well as Salehi (2019) [25] . During storage, the fat content of treatment T 0 decreases from 25.53 to 25.01%, treatment T 1 from 25.30 to 24.90%, treatment T 2 from 25.09 to 24.81%, treatment T 3 from 24.94 to 24.70% and treatment T 4 from 24.79 to 24.62%, respectively. The decrease in fat content of cookies during storage is primarily due to oxidation of the fats, a process called lipid oxidation. Storage conditions, such as exposure to light, air, and high temperatures, accelerate this oxidation process. Due to moisture absorption from surrounding breakdown of fat molecules takes place (Andhale et al., 2021) [4] .

The ash content of cookies increases with powder concentration and decreases with storage period. Throughout the storage period, treatment T 4 consistently shows the highest ash content, while treatment T 0 shows the lowest. During storage, ash content of treatment T 0 decreases from 1.46 to 1.10%, treatment T 1 from 1.50 to 1.22%, treatment T 2 from 1.56 to 1.35%, treatment T 3 from 1.63 to 1.47% and treatment T 4 from 1.71 to 1.60%, respectively. Ibrahium and Hegazy, (2014) [11] as well as Agu et al., (2020) [2] reported that ash content increases with increasing concentration of mushroom powder. [2,4] .

Effect of storage on textural properties of mushroom fortified cookies

The textural properties of cookies such as cutting force, crushing force and penetration force and results pertaining to the same are given in table 5. From table, it was observed that cutting force of cookies decreases with storage period and powder concentration. The treatment T 0 had highest cutting force and treatment T 4 had lowest throughout the storage period. During storage, the cutting force of treatment T 0 decreases from 60.27 to 54.63%, treatment T 1 from 57.39 to 52.76%, treatment T 2 from 54.21 to 50.13%, treatment T 3 from 51.81 to 47.54% and treatment T 4 from 50.76 to 46.60%, respectively. The decrease in cutting force of mushroom powder cookies during storage is often attributed to moisture migration and changes in the cookie structure. Over time, cookies tend to absorb moisture from the environment or redistribute internal moisture, leading to softening. These structural changes result in a reduced cutting force as the cookies become less rigid and easier to break or cut over time (Chauhan et al., 2016) [8] . The crushing force of cookies decreases with powder concentration and storage period. The treatment T 0 had highest crushing force and treatment T 4 had lowest crushing force throughout the storage period. During storage, the crushing force of treatment T 0 decreases from 49.08 to 48.05%, treatment T 1 from 48.33 to 47.82%, treatment T 2 from 47.95 to 47.55%, treatment T 3 from 47.48 to 46.96% and treatment T 4 from 46.88 to 46.43%, respectively. The decrease in the crushing force of mushroom powder cookies is mainly due to the disruption of the gluten network. Increased moisture retention and reduced cohesiveness contribute to lower crushing force Kaur et al. (2017) [13] .

The penetration force of cookies decreases with powder concentration and storage. The treatment T 0 consistently showed the highest penetration force throughout the storage period while T 4 showed lowest penetration force. During storage, the crushing force of treatment T 0 decreases from [26] that the cookies fracturability and hardness reduced as the amount of mushroom powder increased. The decrease in the penetration force of cookies during storage is primarily due to moisture absorption from the surrounding environment. The rise in moisture has an impact on the textural properties of the cookies (Romani et al., 2016) [24] .

Effect of storage on sensory characteristics of mushroom fortified cookies

One of the most important indicators for evaluating the acceptability of food products is sensory evaluation (Lafta et al., 2019) [16] . The cookies made up with mushroom powder were tested for colour, appearance, texture, flavour and overall acceptability during storage period of three months. The corresponding results are given in Table 6. [20] . The combination of the factors such as moisture loss, oxidation, staling, degradation of flavours, and potential microbial or enzymatic changes causes a decline in the sensory quality of mushroom powder cookies over the three-month storage period.

Conclusion

The results indicate that the cookies weight and thickness decrease with increasing mushroom powder concentration from 2.5 to 10%, while diameter and spread ratio increases. The proximate analysis of mushroom fortified cookies shows that moisture content increases with storage period and protein, fibre, fat, ash, and carbohydrate content decreases. Higher mushroom powder concentrations enhancing protein, fibre, and ash levels but reducing fat and carbohydrate levels throughout the storage period. The textural properties of cookies, including cutting, crushing, and penetration forces, decreases with increasing mushroom powder concentration and storage time due to disrupted gluten structure, moisture absorption, and changes in cookies cohesiveness and rigidity. Sensory evaluation scores for cookies with mushroom powder decreases over 90 days of storage, with 5% mushroom powder (T 2 ) consistently achieving the highest scores across parameters, indicating better acceptability even after prolonged storage. Thus, the results shows that the best quality cookies were prepared with 5% mushroom powder i.e. treatment T 2 (WF:FMF:MP-80:15:5) were found to be best in respect of physical properties, proximate analysis, textural and sensory parameters during storage period of 90 days.

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