Nutritional Quality, Amino Acid Profile and Phytochemicals of High Protein-fibre Cookies Produced from Whole Wheat, Orange-fleshed Sweet Potato, Defatted Peanut and Rice Bran Composite Flour

This study evaluated the nutritional qualities of cookies from whole wheat (WW), orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), defatted peanut (DPN) and rice bran (RB) composite flour. The flours (WPRG 1, 2 and 3) were formulated at different ratios (5.00-37.50%) and 100% WW flour (as control). The improved protein (13.54 ̵ 18.91%) and fibre (2.96 ̵ 8.65%) of the cookies depicted the positive inclusion of OFSP, DPN and RB flours. However, the essential minerals were significantly (p≤0.05) high in the composite cookies with no traces of heavy metals. Besides, the hydrophobic amino acids (24.10 ̵ 28.91%) and biological value (74.07 ̵ 89.77%) of the cookies showcased their potential bio-availability in some cardio-disease management. Their phenol (100.28-220.35 mg/100g) and tannin (53.40-76.50 mg/100 g) contents significantly (p≤0.05) enhanced their antioxidative power. The cookies produced from 56.25% WW, 18.75% OFSP, 5% RB and 20% DPN composite flour were mostly preferred by the consumers’ ratings. Finally, the added peanut and rice bran flours showed no significant (p<0.05) effect on the physical properties, acceptability and preference of the cookie samples. Hence, we conclude that it is possible to produce better and high nutritional (protein, fibre, etc.) cookies from whole wheat, OFSP, defatted peanut and rice bran composite flours.