Development of Nutrient-dense Biscuits from Sorghum and Bambara Groundnut Flour

Dietary fibres, or the fibrous, indigestible parts of food, are an essential component of a healthy diet. Fibres help food pass through the colon more quickly and retain water, which has a laxative effect. The study's objective was to ascertain the proximate, functional, and antinutritional properties of biscuits made with sorghum and Bambara groundnut flour. Using standard procedures, flour samples from various Bambara groundnut and sorghum varieties were produced, combined with wheat flour to create biscuits, and then tested for proximate, functional, and antinutritional properties. Here, 25% and 50% of the wheat flour, respectively, were used in place of the bambara groundnut and sorghum flour. The control group consisted of biscuits made entirely of wheat flour. While 100% wheat flour was used as a control for biscuit manufacturing, sorghum and Bambara groundnut flours were used to replace 25% and 50% of the wheat flour, respectively. The proximate composition of the biscuits ranged from 10.41% to 14.26% protein, fat (13.01 to 15.34%), crude fibre (5.02 to 6.32%), ash (13.01 to 15.34%), and 52.78% and 59.82% carbohydrates. In that sequence, the biscuit samples' phytate, tannin, and oxalate contents were 69.56 mg/100g and 101.54 mg/100g, 11.24 to 20.13 mg/100g, and 20.83 mg/100g and 28.15 mg/100g, respectively. The functional properties of the flour showed that its bulk density was between 0.70 and 0.71 g/cm3, its oil absorption capacity was between 1.30 and 1.85 g/g, and its water absorption capacity was between 1.95 and 2.14 g/g. The use of the composite flours increased the biscuits' nutritional value when compared to biscuits made with wheat flour. In addition to assessing the nutritional value of biscuits enhanced with sorghum and bambara flour, research should be done on how well these flours work in baked goods like bread, cakes, and other items. To determine the ideal packaging suggested for the prepared samples, further investigation should be done.