Development of Bambara groundnut-enriched wheat biscuits: Nutritional, functional and sensory evaluation

Abstract

Wheat biscuits are widely consumed but are mostly low in protein, fibre and minerals; hence, there is a need to develop nutritious alternative wheat flour blends with similar quality and acceptability. This study evaluated the effects of replacing wheat flour with 10–40% Bambara groundnut flour on nutritional composition, flour functionality, physical quality, short-term microbial quality and consumer acceptability. Five formulations were produced in triplicate and assessed by 100 consumer panellists. From BGB0 to BGB40, moisture increased from 5.80 to 7.10%, ash from 1.20 to 2.20%, protein from 7.10 to 13.20%, fibre from 2.10 to 4.80% and energy from 456 to 478 kcal/100 g, while fat decreased from 18.50 to 16.80% and carbohydrate from 65.30 to 57.90%. Water absorption increased from 1.20 to 1.80 g/g, oil absorption from 0.95 to 1.35 g/g, swelling from 2.10 to 3.10 mL/g, emulsion capacity from 48.0 to 64.0%, and foaming capacity from 22.0 to 38.5%. In contrast, bulk density decreased from 0.68 to 0.60 g/mL. Diameter declined from 52.10 to 50.00 mm, spread ratio from 8.40 to 7.41, and weight from 9.80 to 9.50 g, while thickness increased from 6.20 to 6.75 mm and hardness from 12.5 to 16.3 N. Aerobic counts rose from 1.2 × 10² to 6.0 × 10² CFU/g in BGB0 and from 0.8 × 10² to 4.0 × 10² CFU/g in BGB40. BGB10 recorded the highest mean sensory scores. Overall, 10–20% substitution provided the best nutritional, technological, and sensory balance.