Effect of incorporation of unripe plantain and mung bean malt flours on wheat flour on the chemical, physical and sensory properties of cookies

The effect of incorporation of unripe plantain and mung bean malt flours on wheat flour on the chemical, physical and sensory properties of cookies was studied to address the challenge of micronutrients deficiency and increase the food application of indigenous crops. Mung bean seeds and mature unripe plantain fingers were procured from ‘Ogige’ market, Nsukka town, Enugu State, Nigeria. Mung bean seeds were malted for 72 h, dried and dehulled. Unripe plantain fingers were washed with clean water, peeled, sliced, soaked in sodium metabisulphite solution for 3 min, rinsed, drained and dried. Both samples were milled and sieved to obtain flours. Wheat, plantain and mung bean malt flours were blended at 70:15:15, 40:30:30, 10:45:45, 25:60:15, 10:90:0, 10:0:90, 55:45:0, 55:0:45 and 25:15:60 ratios, and used for cookies preparation. The chemical compositions, physical and sensory properties of the cookies were analysed using standard techniques. The protein, ash, fibre and carbohydrate contents of the cookies varied from 7.28-14.36, 1.44-3.99, 2.16-3.49 and 62.92-70.05 mg/100 g, respectively. The protein and ash contents were higher in the cookies with higher proportions of mung bean malt flour than the plantain flour or control cookies.The increase in mung bean malt and unripe plantain flour resulted in cookies with high contents of calcium, iron and zinc, and their values varied from 22.02-32.34, 1.41-3.98 and 2.60-3.74 mg/100 g, respectively. The diameter and thickness of the cookies from different blends increased while the spread ratio, weight and break strength decreased when compared to control. The cookies from the 70:15:15 were preferred to others in the overall acceptability. The cookies from flour blends containing up to 30% mung bean malt were not significantly different from control in overall acceptability.