ABSTRACT

The aim ofthis study was to evaluate the use ofsorghum flours and millet in the development of gluten free cookies. Gluten free Cookies quality produced from blends of millet flour (MF) and sorghum flour (SF) at different ratios of 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, 60/40, 50/50%, 40/60, 30/70, 20,80 and 10/90 was investigated. The proximate, physical and sensory properties ofthe cookie samples were evaluated using standard laboratory procedures. Cookies with 100% wheat flour (WF) serves as a reference sample. The data generated were statistically analyzed by one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SPSS (version 16). The proximate results of the cookies showed an increase in protein (0.79-3.20%), ash (2.18-2.38%), fat (15.3-17.37%), crude fibre (14.87- 37.37%) as well as decrease in moisture content (6.69-10.78%), and carbohydrate (67.45-70.33%) as the substitution level of sorghum increases. The physical properties of the cookies; weight (7.84—9.34g). diameter (3.63-4.85 mm), thickness (0.16-0.54 mm), spread ratio (7.38-9.03) increased while the breaking strength (3.78—5.04 g) decreased as the levels ofsorghum increased. However, the sensory results showed that the cookies varied in taste (5.27-8.00), aroma (5.43- 7.30). texture (2.60-7.03), appearance (5.10-8.03) and general acceptability (5.87-8.00). The reference sample had the highest sensory scores for all the attributes except for colour and appearance. Millet flour and sorghum flour could be a suitable ingredient for cookies formulations, maintaining their nutritional value and sensorial quality in addition to being a gluten-free product. Resulting sorghum and millet cookies would contribute to a more diverse and nutritious diet for celiac people.