Textural, in vitro antioxidant activity and sensory characteristics of cookies made from blends of wheat-quinoa grown in India

The study investigated the replacement of wheat flour with quinoa flour, its effect on physicochemical, functional, pasting, and antioxidant properties of blend flour and cookies and their comparison with control. Incorporation of quinoa flour significantly (p < .05) improved the properties of blend flour. The fiber and protein content increased from 1.20 to 3.11% and 9.12 to 11.95%. Water absorption, oil absorption, bulk density, and foaming capacity properties of blends were significantly higher than control and showed an increase of about 10.47, 9.42, 16.63, and 28.43%, respectively. Increase in the concentration of quinoa flour improved the texture of cookies and decreased the spread ratio. The cookies remained acceptable up to the 40% incorporation of quinoa flour because of its improved texture and mouth feel. Further increase in the quinoa incorporation shifted the product to marginal acceptance category. Practical application Successful production of composite product with high nutrition and sensorial quality is still a challenge in the food market of developing countries. In view of the teeming population being faced by these developing countries, quinoa, if utilized, will go a long way in eradicating the dearth in food supply. To introduce a new supplementation into any food items, it is important to determine whether the supplementation possesses the appropriate functional properties and is nutritionally good for consumers and industrial applications. The use of quinoa as a source of nutritious food and a substitute with other flours arises from the knowledge of the food properties of its flour and product. There is scanty information on the products like cookies from quinoa and no information about functional properties of quinoa blended flours. This paper opens up some commercial potential and technical challenges of using quinoa for cookies preparation purpose.