Nutritional Enhancement and Organoleptic Assessment of Gluten-free and Millet-based Murukku Fortified with Chia Seeds (Salvia hispanica L.)

Murukku is a spiral-shaped, savoury snack mainly popular in Southern parts of India. It is a deep-fried delicacy made out of rice flour, black lentils and seasoning. However, the use of millets in developing everyday snack is a better way to incorporate varieties of cereals in the diet. The study aims to design a gluten-free millet murukku enriched with Chia seeds powder in different proportions in order to evaluate its nutritional and sensorial characteristics. The recipe was optimised and developed to undergo standardised laboratory procedures and 9-point hedonic scale rating. The conventional recipe and the modified variants were analysed for organoleptic scores through ANOVA (Analysis of Variance). A total of 3 variants were prepared having chia seeds powder in 5%, 10% and 15% proportions respectively. The most acceptable sample was found to be variant T2, with an overall acceptability quotient of 8.78±1.63, depicting a notable increase in moisture (7.41 g/100g), fibre, (13.48 g/100g), carbohydrate (54.15 g/100g), calcium (131.13 mg/100g) and iron (4.33 mg/100g) but a slight increment in protein and a significant decrease in fat (13.96 g/100g) content when compared with the control sample of murukku. The baked version of this gluten-free, millet-based snack offers a healthier alternative to health-conscious consumers looking for nutrient-dense, palatable and functionally satisfying snack food. This study enhances the concept of mindful snacking that caters to individuals with dietary restrictions.