ASSESSMENT OF BISCUITS PRODUCED FROM THE BLENDS OF WHEAT, ACHA AND GERMINATED AFRICAN YAM BEAN FLOUR

The consumption of bakery products, the vast majority of which are from cereal flours, is increasing rapidly. Cereal proteins, on the other hand, lack essential amino acids and must be supplemented with legumes to ensure a balanced nutrient intake. The study aims to evaluate the nutritional composition of biscuits made from the blend of wheat, acha and African yam bean flours. Different proportions of flour blends were obtained using D-optimal mixture of design of Response Surface Methodology. The flour produced from this blend was analyzed for proximate composition, functional properties, pasting properties, mineral content and anti-nutritional factors. The biscuit produced from the resulting flour was analyzed for physical characteristics and sensory attributes. The results obtained showed that the proximate composition of the flour blend varied from 7.26-9.05 %, 7.94-8.20.12%, 6.01-7.85%, 1.05-2.16%, 1.43-2.14%, 60.38-74.64% for moisture, protein, fat, crude fibre, ash and carbohydrate respectively. The functional properties of flour ranged from 0.76 to 0.84 g/ml for bulk density, 76.50 to 84.50% for water absorption capacity, 72.00 to 82.50%, for oil absorption capacity, 1.94 to 2.63g/g for swelling capacity and 2.00 to 6.00 % for solubility index. The pasting properties of the flour varied from 2049.00- 2333.00, 1217.50-1461.50, 1134.50-1238.00 for peak velocity, trough velocity and break down velocity, respectively. The mineral composition of the flour ranged from 1.70-2.13 mg/l, 2.12-2.22 mg/l, 19.63-24.63 mg/l, 0.40-0.58 mg/l, 3.25-4.96 mg/l for calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron and potassium, respectively. The anti-nutrient content of the flour blend ranged from 0.36 to 0.44 g/kg, 0.014 to 0.14 g/kg, and 0.40 to 0.54 g/kg for phytate, oxalate, and tannin content, respectively. The physical attributes of the biscuits ranged from 13.00-17.00 g, 56.00-60.33 mm, 5.76- 6.83 mm, 8.69-10.57 for weight, diameter, thickness, and spread ratio, respectively. The sensory evaluation results of the biscuits revealed that all the biscuit samples received high ratings for all the sensory attributes evaluated. Considerable increases in crude protein, ash, and crude fibre contents observed in the flour blend are indications that biscuits made from this blend could help reduce protein-energy malnutrition.