ABSTRACT

Cookies are nutrient dense food products consumed mostly in-between meals by both children and adults. They are usually made from wheat grains which is not cultivated in tropical countries like Nigeria due to unfavourable climatic conditions. Chemical and sensory properties of cookies from blends of sorghum, orange-fleshed sweet potato and date pulp were investigated. Cookies were produced from flour blends (100:0:0, 70:20:10, 65:25:10, 50:40:10, 55:35:10) of sorghum, orange-fleshed sweet potato and date pulp, respectively. Cookies made with 100% sorghum flour served as the control. Proximate composition, mineral, vitamin and antinutrient content, as well as sensory properties of the cookies were evaluated using standard analytical procedures. Data generated were statistically analysed by one way analysis of variance using Statistical Product for Service Solution version 23.0. The proximate composition revealed that the moisture content (9.58 to 10.27 %), crude protein (5.96 to 7.01 %), fat (8.16 to 8.65 %), dietary fibre (2.48 to 3.01 %), ash (1.40 to 1.92 %), carbohydrate (70.33 to 71.56 %), and energy value (1602.57 to 1618.54 KJ) of the cookies. Minerals like phosphorus (2.88 to 4.32 mg/100g), calcium (12.98 to 44.06 mg/100g), sodium (4.03 to 20.18 mg/100g), potassium (3.21 to 32.62 mg/100g), and zinc (4.44 to 4.67 mg/100g) were obtained in the cookies. The cookies possessed pro-vitamin A (63.12 to 351.23 µg/100g), vitamin B₁ (2.43 to 4.66 mg/100g), vitamin B₂ (0.21 mg to 1.38 mg/100g), vitamin B₃ (0.54 to 1.35 mg/100g), and vitamin C (1.22 to 1.73 mg/100g). The antinutrient contents of the cookies showed the presence of phytate (0.05 to 1.17 mg/100g), saponin (0.87 to 1.03 mg/100g), tannin (0.43 to 1.95 mg/100g), and trypsin inhibitor (3.21 to 32.62 mg/100g). The sensory analysis of the cookies revealed that the mean score for appearance ranged from 5.05 to 7.20, whereas 4.40 to 7.50, 3.45 to 7.40, 4.35 to 7.45, and 4.00 to 7.80 was obtained as the mean score for flavour, taste, texture, and general acceptability of the cookies. This study showed that nutrient dense and acceptable cookies can be produced from flour blends of indigenous crops like sorghum, orange-fleshed sweet potato and date pulp.