Development of value-added products from moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaf powder

Introduction

Moringa oleifera, commonly known as drumstick or horseradish tree, is a multipurpose plant native to India and widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Its leaves are valued for their nutritional composition and contain protein, fiber, minerals and vitamins. The thesis literature review describes Moringa leaves as a useful source of calcium, iron, vitamin C, betacarotene and other nutrients, while dehydration offers a practical approach for preservation, storage and incorporation into food products. Moringa leaf powder has consequently been investigated as an ingredient in bakery products and other value-added foods (Fahey, 2005; Gopalakrishnan et al., 2016; Joshi and Mehta, 2010; Alakali and Kucha, 2015) [4, 5, 7, 2] . The utilization of Moringa leaf powder in bakery products can increase the nutritional value of familiar foods while providing a convenient form for processing and storage. Previous studies cited in the thesis have reported the use of Moringa powder in biscuits, bread, cookies, cakes and other products " (Kar et [8, 14, 1, 9] . However, the quality of dehydrated leaf powder and its level of incorporation are important because processing conditions and higher incorporation levels can influence nutritional and sensory characteristics. Therefore, the present investigation focused on standardizing dehydration conditions for Moringa leaves and evaluating MLP incorporation in biscuit formulation through proximate, mineral and quality analyses. The study was designed to identify a treatment that could provide nutritional enrichment without compromising product acceptability. Biscuit are baked food products made mainly from flour, sugar, fat, and other ingredients such as milk, salt, and flavoring agents. The ingredients are mixed to form dough, shaped into different sizes and designs, and then baked until they become crisp and golden brown. Biscuit have a pleasant taste, aroma, and crunchy texture. They are commonly consumed as snacks with tea, coffee, or milk. Different types of biscuit include sweet, salty, cream, butter, and nutritious biscuit. Ingredients such as oats, nuts, fruits, and moringa powder can also be added to improve their nutritional value.

Materials and Methods

The experiment entitled Development of Value-Added Products from Moringa (Moringa oleifera) Leaf Powder was conducted in the Post-Harvest Laboratory, Department of Horticulture, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, during January-August, 2025. The required quantity of drumstick leaves was dried at 40 °C, 60 °C and 80 °C for 4 hours, the sample dried at 60 °C produced satisfactory-quality powder after grinding which was selected for the preparation of moirnga biscuit. The analysis was laid out in completely randomized design with 13 treatments including control replicated thrice viz. T0: Control, T1: 10 % moringa leaves powder dried at 40 o C, T2: 20 % moringa leaves powder dried at 40 o C, T3: 30 % moringa leaves powder dried at 40 o C, T4: 10 % moringa leaves powder dried at 60 o C, T5: 20 % moringa leaves powder dried at 60 o C , T6: 30 % moringa leaves powder dried at 60 o C, T7: 10 % moringa leaves powder dried at 80 o C , T8: 20 % moringa leaves powder dried at 80 o C , T9: 30 % moringa leaves powder dried at 80 o C , T10: 10 % moringa leaves powder air dried , T11: 20 % moringa leaves powder air dried , T12: 30 % moringa leaves powder air dried. Different biscuit samples were evaluated for moisture, crude fat, crude fiber, ash content, carbohydrate, crude protein, energy, iron, Vitamin C, phosphorus, total sugar, zinc and calcium and Total Soluble Solids (TSS).

Results and Discussion Biochemical Proximate analysis of biscuit

The results showed significant differences among the treatments presented in Table 1. Maximum moisture content was present in Treatment T6 (10.40) and minimum was found in T0 (4.68), maximum crude fat content was present in Treatment T6 (2.57) and minimum was found in T0 (2.21), maximum crude fibre content was present in Treatment T6 (11.19) and minimum was found in T0 (7.95), maximum ash content was present in Treatment T6 (11.76) and minimum was found in T0 (8.18), maximum carbohydrate content was present in Treatment T6 (58.33) and minimum was found in T0 (71.66), maximum crude protein content was present in Treatment T6 (21.38) and minimum was found in T0 (16.15), maximum energy content was present in Treatment T6 (314.39) and minimum was found in T0 (262.25).

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