DEVELOPMENT AND SENSORY EVALUATION OF GLUTEN FREE AIR-DRIED COCONUT FLOUR (COCOS NUCIFERA L.) AS DOUGH

Nowadays, some of us seeks for a healthier foods and coconut flour is a gluten-free alternative that offers high fiber content and unique functional properties, making it suitable for various culinary applications. This quantitative research aimed to develop and evaluate the air dried coconut flour as empanada dough specifically, to evaluate the dough's color, texture, aroma, and taste. The study identified 30 respondents using the stratified random sampling and the project was evaluated using a 4 point Likert-scale. Data were analyzed using mean, ANOVA or analysis of variance at 0.05 level of significance and descriptive analysis was used to interpret the data. Results of the study showed that the requirements and specifications on the development of the empanada dough to enhance the taste, aroma, appearance, and texture. Additionally, the empanada dough can be used as breading or coating for empanada as it was assessed as “Very Much Acceptable” along taste, aroma, appearance, and texture. Results further show that there is no significant difference in the evaluation of the students, teachers, and bakers on the empanada dough. Keywords: Coconut, Dough, Evaluation, Respondents, Wheat