Abstract:
Biscuits are ready-to-eat and convenient food product containing
digestive and dietary principles of vital importance. A study was undertaken to develop
biscuits with good nutritional quality from cassava flour (CF) and mango flour (MF)
and to evaluate the quality characteristics of biscuits produced. Cassava roots were
processed into flour using standard method. Moderately ripe mangoes were washed,
peeled, sliced, dried in a heat pump dehumidifier dryer at the temperature of 40°C for 3
hours and ground to produce MF. The MF was used at different levels of 10, 15,20 and
25% to substitute the CF for biscuit formulations. The developed biscuits were
subjected to physico-chemical, microbiological and sensory quality evaluation. Physicochemical
analyses revealed that there were no significant differences (p<0.05) in
relation to moisture content in all biscuit samples made with different percentage of
MF. The average moisture content of the biscuits was 6.93%. The protein, fibre, fat, ash
and vitamin C content increased with increase in the proportion of MF level, with the
20% MF level having the values of 8.11%, 2.33%, 15.90%, 2.71% and 23.50 mg/100 g,
respectively. The highest protein and fibre content were found in biscuit sample
supplemented with 25% of MF; this biscuit sample was not significantly different from
the sample supplemented with 20% MF. The soluble carbohydrate contents were
highest for all biscuit samples in terms of all the physico-chemical parameters. Biscuits
supplemented with 25% MF had the highest vitamin C content (24.61 mg/100 g) and
this sample was not significantly different from the biscuit supplemented with 20% MF.
The pH values of the biscuit samples decreased significantly (p<0.05) with the increase
in MF supplementation but they were >6.0 being considered non acidic food product.
Microbiological analysis indicated that there was no total plate count observed in the
tested samples. Sensory evaluation showed that supplementation of CF biscuits with
MF up to 20% did not significantly (p<0.05) affect the color, texture, crispiness and
taste except aroma when compared with the control sample. The supplementation of CF
with MF had been successful for the formulation of biscuits with better physicochemical
and organoleptic qualities within the universal standards for biscuits.
