Formulation and quality evaluation of cookies fortified with flaxseed flour
Abstract
The bakery industry offers a wide variety of products which includes bread, biscuits, cookies, cakes, pastries, and muffins. Wheat is considered to be one of the most important ingredients in bakery products. Fortification of cookies by replacing wheat with nutritional-rich alternatives is essential to increase the nutritional value of cookies. In this study, cookies were fortified with flaxseed flour, foxtail millets and ragi flour to enhance their nutritional profile, thus overcoming the limitations associated with using wheat flour. The outcome and effects of fortification with varying levels of flaxseed flour were analyzed. The different formulations were as follows – T0 (100:0, wheat: flaxseed), T1 (80:10:10, foxtail + ragi flour: flaxseed flour: wheat flour), T2 (70:20:10), and T3 (60:30:10). The organoleptic properties of samples were assessed using a 9-point Hedonic scale by a group of 8 semi-trained panelists. The sample T2 containing 20% flaxseed was the most preferred and accepted by the panelists in terms of appearance, taste, texture and overall acceptability. The analytical tests were conducted for the moisture content, fat percentage, protein content, ash content and titratable acidity of cookies. Results indicated that - as the concentration of flaxseed flour increased, the moisture content, ash content, fat percentage and protein percentage in cookies also increased. The inclusion of ragi flour also increases the calcium content of cookies as ragi is the richest source of calcium of all flours. Therefore, fortification of cookies with flaxseed flour, foxtail millets and ragi flour remarkably enhanced both their nutritional composition and sensory attributes.
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Introduction
The global inclination towards healthy and nutritious food have notably escalated the interest of health-conscious consumers towards food and food products that provide potential health advantages; focusing towards functional foods. Cookies are popular bakery products that are chemically leavened product. It is also considered as "biscuit" in some countries. Cookies are a perfect vehicle for providing nutrients and health benefits to consumers (Elshehy et al., 2018) [1] . Generally, the principle ingredients are wheat flour, sugar, fat and water/milk. Refined wheat flour used in standard cookies is low in fiber, proteins (7-14%), essential amino acids, imbalanced fatty acid profile, high saturated fat and high carbohydrate content. These traditional cookies and biscuits are not considered nutritious. Therefore, due to these limitations, there is a remarkable increase in the development of healthy, natural and functional cookies. This specifically requires products that are sugar-free, high-fiber and low-calorie. (Khouryieh et al., 2012) [2] Flaxseed or linseed (Linum usitatissimum) has gained popularity due to its nutritional profile and health benefits. It is blue-colored flowering crop grown in rabi season. The seeds of flax are small, flat, smooth and pointed at ends. It is also known by other names such as Alsi, Jawas and Aksebija in Indian languages. It has been used as a medicine since ancient times. It is gluten-free and has an amino acid profile similar to that of soybean flour (Ganorkar et al., 2014) [3] . Flaxseed has nutritional composition -30% protein, 35% fiber and 35% lipids. This composition differs depending upon seed variety, cropping year, location of cropping and environmental conditions. The protein content ranges from 10.5% to 31% in flaxseed, varies depending on environment and conditions of growth. Significantly, its key components comprise of dietary fibers, oils (lipids), phenolic compounds (lignans), and proteins. Fatty acid profile of flaxseed is unique (Alka et al., 2017) [4] . It contains high concentration of PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids) and low content of saturated fatty acids. Flaxseed oil and its derivatives contain -Polyunsaturated fatty acids: Total PUFA content of flaxseed is reported to be 60.3% (yet another study reported it to be 70%). Alpha linolenic acid (Omega -3 fatty acid) is found to be abundantly present in flaxseeds, accounting to about 47.2% -53%. Flaxseed is also rich in calcium, which is important for mineralizing bone matrix. Flaxseed along with ragi flour significantly increases the calcium content of the cookies. Due to these components present in flaxseed, it provides numerous health benefits. Flaxseed is known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, hyperlipidemia, cancer and diabetes. It also reduces bad cholesterol "LDL" levels. In accordance to these nutritional advantages provided by flaxseed, it is incorporated into cookies and other bakery products. As cookies are ready-to-eat, highly convenient and affordable bakery products, they are suitable to be incorporated with flaxseed to enhance their nutritional value (Ganorkar et al., 2014) [3] . Flaxseed flour is blended in different proportions with foxtail millet flour and ragi flour. These flours have a synergistic effect on the nutritional value of cookies. Dates consist of 6.4-11.5% fibre; both soluble and insoluble. It has low glycemic index (GI) and hence is anti-diabetic and helps improve lipid and glucose profiles. (Jain, 2013) [5] . Foxtail Millet and ragi flour are low glycemic index (GI) flours, aiding in diabetes and weight-management (SIRISHA, 2016) [6] . Foxtail millet flour increases the protein content and dietary fiber content of cookies (Sachdev et al., 2021) [7] . Other ingredients added are sugar, butter, baking powder, dates, salt and choco chips.
Material and Methods
This experimental study on "Formulation and Quality Evaluation of cookies enriched with flaxseed flour" was conducted in the Food technology lab in ITM University, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Materials 2.1 Collection of material
All the ingredients -Flaxseed, ragi flour, foxtail millets, sugar, dates, baking powder, butter, and choco chips were collected from the local market in Gwalior.
Preparation of flaxseed flour
Formulation concept
The composition of various ingredients of T 0 (control cookies) and T 1 (experimental cookies) is as follows:
Procedure for preparation of cookies
Procurement of all the ingredients Flaxseed flour, Foxtail + Ragi (F+R) flour and Wheat flour taken in different proportions Control (100g) Fortified Experimental Flour (100g) Mix all the dry ingredients (Flours, baking powder, salt). Take butter and powdered sugar in 1:1 ratio. Beat with a whisker to make cream Add dry ingredients to the cream. Grind some dates to make a paste and add it to the mixture. By slowly adding water/milk, knead the mixture to make dough. Shape the cookies and pour choco chips on the top surface for good appearance.
Preheat the oven at 180 °C for 5 minutes. Bake the cookies at 180 °C for 20-25 minutes and Cool.
Ash content [AOAC 942.05]
Ash content is a method of evaluating the amount of inorganic matter and minerals present in a food sample that are not destroyed during heating.
Principle: Organic matter is incinerated at high temperature (550℃) for 4 hours, which leaves the inorganic matter and residues. % Ash = W 1 -W 2 × 100 W
Fat percentage by Soxhlet apparatus [AOAC 2003.05]
It is a method of estimating crude fat content using repeated extraction of fat with the help of a non-polar, organic solvent. % Acidity = 𝑚𝐿 × 𝑁 × 90 × 100 𝑉 × 1000
Sensory evaluation study
Sensory evaluation is a scientific discipline used to measure the qualities or characteristics of a food product using 5 senses taste, touch, hearing, sight and smell (Kemp, 2008) [8] . It can be done by many methods such as descriptive, discriminative and effective tests. Consumer acceptance is determined of the fortified cookies using sensory evaluation. By using a 9-point hedonic scale, color, aroma, taste, texture and over all acceptability is evaluated. Panelists are trained and evaluation scorecards are distributed to efficiently conduct the sensory evaluation (Amerine et al., 2013) [9] .
Results and discussion
Proximate analysis results
The cookies were evaluated for their quality and sensory attributes.
The results from the tests are given in the following table -
Discussion
Moisture content
The moisture content of T 2 was found to be 8.40% by hot air oven method. By comparing the results of T 0 (control) cookies, the moisture content significantly increased in each formulation due to fortification of flaxseed, foxtail millets and ragi flour.
Ash content
The ash content of T 2 was found to be 1.42% by muffle furnace method as compared to the 0.18% in T 0 (control) cookies and significantly increased with each formulation. The ash content significantly increased due to high amount of minerals present in flaxseed, foxtail millets and ragi flour.
Fat estimation by Soxhlet method
The crude fat content of T 2 was found to be 28.51% by Soxhlet extraction method as compared to the 17.35% in T 0 (control) cookies.
The crude fat content significantly increased due to the fatty acid profile of flaxseed, foxtail millets and ragi flour.
Titratable acidity
The titratable acidity of T 2 was found to be 0.44% by titration method which implies the presence of organic acids in flaxseed, foxtail millets and ragi flour.
Sensory evaluation
The results from the sensory evaluation study revealed that T 2 formulation was acceptable in terms of appearance, taste, texture and overall acceptability. The result for sensory evaluation study includes the average scores of all attributes.
Conclusion
Cookies are chemically leavened snacks that are one of the most widely consumed bakery products because of the long shelf-life, taste affordability and convenience. They were traditionally been consid-ered as energy-dense snacks which were made from refined wheat flour, fat and sugar.
In recent years, the cookies are being considered a suitable vehicle for providing nutrients, hence they are enriched and fortified with many functional ingredients that provide macronutrients and micronutrients. These cookies have enhanced nutritional value, palatability, affordability convenience, and high consumer acceptance. They study was undertaken to develop functional cookies by incorporating nutrient rich ingredients such as millets, flaxseeds and Ragi flour, which improve the nutritional value and health benefits of the cookies. The developed cookies were high in dietary fiber, good unsaturated fats such as Omega-3 fatty acid, routines antioxidants and essential minerals such as calcium. Total PUFA content of flaxseed is reported to be 60.3% (yet another study reported it to be 70%). Alpha linolenic acid (Omega-3 fatty acid) is found to be abundantly present in flaxseeds, accounting to about 47.2 % -53%. Ragi flour and flaxseed had a synergistically increased concentration of calcium in the cookies. The cookies were tested for the proximate composition and sensory evaluation. The proximate analysis showed a gradual increase in moisture, ash, and fat due to the substitution of flaxseed, foxtail millets and Ragi flour. The fortified cookies enriched with flaxseed flower significantly enhanced the nutritional qualities of cookies. Moisture content increased to a double rate compared to the standard cookies made with refined with. There was a similar increase in the Ash content due to the addition of flaxseed, foxtail millets and Ragi flour, enhancing the mineral content. The fatty acid profile of flaxseed enriched the cookies with higher fat percentage and high-quality fatty acids compared to the standard cookies. The flaxseed enriched cookies also contain appreciable amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids. The pro tein content was significantly low due to high amount of carbohydrates and less amount of protein in the flours. The title table acidity was found to be 0.44% which indicates good freshness and low microbial load.
Sensory evaluation studies revealed that the enriched cookies with 10% flaxseed flour were highly acceptable in the sensory attributes like taste, appearance, texture and overall acceptability. The further research can be recommended to evaluate the storage stability, glycemic index, fatty acid profile and commercialization of the cookies. Additionally, consumer behavior with wider population can also provide deep insights into market acceptance.
Acknowledgement
AcknowledgementThe authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the Department of Food Technology, ITM University, Gwalior, for providing the essential facilities and support to conduct this research work. We are thankful to our supervisor, Er. Akshay Singh Sengar, for his valuable research ideas, guidance and foundation throughout the study. We would also like to appreciate Gagan Jot Kaur Bhamrah for conducting the formulation of cookies and drafting the research paper, Mukul Jerkhria for carrying out the quality analysis and testing of the cookies and Amanpreet Kaur for compiling the results. We also thank our faculty members and laboratory staff for their support and cooperation in the formulation of the cookies. Finally, we are grateful to everyone who contributed directly or indirectly to the successful completion of the research study.
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Funding
- ITM University-Gwalior
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