Study on textural properties of Niger fortified cookies

The primary objective of this research was to evaluate the textural properties of cookies by replacing refined wheat flour and incorporating whole Niger flour to develop a Niger-fortified cookie. The study examined independent parameters, including the ratio of whole niger flour to refined wheat flour (90:10 to 70:30), sugar (20-60 g), shortening (15-35 g), and baking powder (2.5-4.5 g), and their effects on textural attributes such as hardness and crispiness. A mathematical approach using central composite rotatable design (CCRD) response surface methodology was effectively employed to optimize the formulation of niger flour-fortified cookies. The results indicated that the addition of niger flour significantly increased the hardness of the cookies. The optimal combination of ingredients for achieving the desired textural properties was determined to be a hardness of 2.535 kg/sec and a crispiness of 0.567 kg/sec, with the following composition: whole niger flour to refined wheat flour ratio of 76.26:23.748 g, sugar at 38.937 g, shortening at 26.099 g, and baking powder at 3.568 g. Ultimately, the textural properties of cookies play a crucial role in how consumers perceive quality.