Quality Evaluation of Cookies Produced from Wheat-Yellow Root Cassava Flours, Enriched with Pumpkin Seed

Cassava is an important crop with high potentials and contributes to the caloric intake of a large number of people. It serves as a staple food in most developing countries such as Nigeria. This study evaluated the quality of cookies produced from wheat-yellow root cassava composite flour, enriched with pumpkin (Curcubita) seed flour. The wheat, yellow root cassava and pumpkin seed were subjected to relevant preparatory operations and converted into flours. The flours obtained were formulated into different ratios of five proportions; 90:10:0(wheat: cassava: pumpkin seed); 90:0:10 (wheat: cassava: pumpkin seed); 80:10:10(wheat: cassava: pumpkin seed); 70:10:20(wheat: cassava: pumpkin seed); and 60:10:30(wheat: cassava: pumpkin seed), while 100% wheat flour served as control. The different composite flours including the control were used to produce cookies. Functional properties of the flour samples, proximate composition, total carotenoid content, physical and sensory properties of the cookies were evaluated using standard methods. The results of the functional properties showed that composite flour had higher values in all the functional attributes investigated than the control except bulk density. Moisture content of the cookies (5.40-10.07%) was within acceptable moisture level for cookies that will not support microbial proliferation. Increase in protein content (8.74-11.36%) was observed with decreasing wheat flour (60%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 100% the protein content are 11.36, 10.51, 9.62, 9.62, 8.74 and 8.74 respectively, while energy value ranged from 444.76-468.04 kcal. Inclusion of yellow root cassava flour in the composite flours resulted to cookies with high total carotenoid content. Physical properties of the cookies ranged from 15.00-15.83kg breaking strength, 4.91-7.50 spread ratio, 15.49-23.94cm3 volume and 14.33-16.13g weight. This study revealed that acceptable cookies in terms of sensory properties were produced from the composite flours. It is deduced that nutrient enriched cookies produced in this study would aid in combating protein energy malnutrition, alleviate vitamin A deficiency and other nutrition related ailments.